A New Fellowship
by Someday Sara
Summary: Inspired by my friend's glue-on elf ears, this is about what would happen if a group of my friends and I suddenly found ourselves in Middle Earth, responsible for the fate of the ring that rules them all...
1. Chapter One

"Shannon, cut it out!" I snatched the toy bow-and-arrows from her hands. "If you try and shoot my dog one more time, I'll... I'll..."  
  
"All right, all right, all right," Shannon said, grabbing the rubber darts back. "Don't get your tights in a bunch."  
  
"They are not tights," I said, straightening them. "They're hose. Now everybody listen up!" I yelled. The assorted teenagers milling around in my yard looked up. "Thank you all for coming, it means a lot to me. Now let's get this all done today, okay? Shannon, you'll be Legolas. Got your ears?"   
  
Shannon fingered her glue-on elf ears. "Got 'em. But why can't Dan be Legolas?"  
  
"Because you've got the elf ears and the long blond hair. Dan," I looked at our tall friend. "You're Boromir."  
  
"Does that mean I have to die at the end?" Dan asked.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"You suck."  
  
"Thanks. Peter, you're Aragon. Here's your shield and sword." I tossed him the cardboard cut outs I had made. "Frances, you're Gimli." I smirked. "The Dwarf."  
  
"Hey!" Frances put her hands on her hips. She didn't like it when I made fun of her height.   
  
I shrugged. "Type casting."  
  
"Hey!"  
  
I ignored her. "Ann, you're Merry. Veronica, you're Pippin. Molly, you're Sam."  
  
"How come we have to be guys?" Molly asked, glaring at me from behind her glasses.  
  
"Because you're all cute and short and you're perfect hobbits."  
  
"Hey!" The soon-to-be hobbits clamored.  
  
"Okay. That leaves me, Frodo." I fingered the ring around my neck.   
  
"How come you get to be the hero?" asked Dan, still sore that he has to die.  
  
"Because this is my Independent Reading Project and I get to do what I want. Now let's get going. The first scene is the eight of us getting chased by the Ringwraiths. My dog, Filly, is the Ringwraith. I'll start the camera and then we all have to run screaming through the trees back there. I've got a dog biscuit trailing from my shoe so Filly will chase us."  
  
Shannon looked at my feet. "Aren't hobbits supposed to be barefoot?"  
  
"Yeah, but I'm happy to say my feet aren't hairy and I don't fancy steeping in dog poo while running from Filly. Okay?"  
  
"Okay..." Shannon fitted an arrow to her string, sullenly.  
  
I tied a black blanket around Filly's collar. "Ready everybody? I'll start the camera on three. One, two, three!" I pressed the record button and ran screaming with my friends. Filly barked happily and chased after us, trailing his dark cloak.   
  
I put my arms up over my face as I went crashing through the pine trees that bordered my yard. I kept running as the branches scraped at my face and threatened to tear my clothing. Filly's barking got softer and softer, and I kept running.  
  
That was odd, I should've been through the trees by now, but the branches kept coming.  
  
"Shannon? Dan? Molly?" I called.  
  
"Meg?" They all called back.  
  
"Just keep running!" I gasped, and then suddenly I was through. I toppled onto the grass, struggling for breath.  
  
My friends were sprawled on the ground beside me, all in various stages of disarray. I glanced down at myself, then rubbed my eyes to make sure I wasn't seeing things.   
  
What had started out as old galoshes were now soft leather boots, and my mother's old nylon warm-ups were tight deerskin pants. My old blouse was now silky and billowing around my wrists, and I was wearing a green vest tied with hemp that I don't remember putting on. I ran a nervous hand through my hair - at least that was the same.  
  
"Uh, guys..." I said, standing up, feeling a cloak settle around my shoulders.  
  
"Megan!" Shannon whimpered. "I can't get my ears off." I looked at my friend. Instead of the old blue jeans and tattered fleece vest, Shannon was wearing flowing green pants and a soft white shirt. And instead of play-school "Let's Be Indians" bow and suction cup arrow, a real hunting bow and a quiver of deadly looking arrows lay on the grass.  
  
I knelt beside her and pushed back her long blond hair. The glue-on ears we had worked so hard to get on in the first place were fused to her real ears so well that I couldn't even see the seam.  
  
"Hold on," I said, and grabbed hold of the pointy part. With a grunt, I tried to yank it off.  
  
Shannon screamed and pain and beat at me. "Stop it, stop it!"   
  
I let go, amazed. "Shannon, those are your real ears..."  
  
I glanced back at my other friends, who were slowly shaking their heads and standing. Dan and Peter reached to their waists and drew swords with shaking hands. Veronica, Ann, and Molly adjusted the clasps of their cloaks with wide eyes. Frances hefted an ax and held it gingerly in front of her.   
  
I turned in a slow circle. Instead of my neighbor's driveway, where we should have ended up, we were standing in the middle of an enormous forest that stretched as far as I could see. I began to shake.  
  
I felt something cold at my neck and I felt my heart beat a little quicker. With a shaking hand, I reached down the front of my shirt and pulled out my golden chain.  
  
Instead of my sister's "Pretty Pretty Princess" ring, there was a small band of gold. I held it up to my eyes, and watched as the fiery letters came to life.  
  
I heard the hammering of hooves in the distance. I grew cold as I realized what that sound meant.  
  
"Fudge!" I yelled. Only I didn't say 'fudge'. Everyone glanced up at me. "Ringwraiths!"  
  
"Don't be stu-" Dan started to say, until he heard the hoofbeats, too.  
  
"RUN!" I screamed. We all turned tail and began crashing through the trees. The underbrush slowly thinned, and then we were all pounding down the bank of a river.  
  
"It's like in the movie!" I said. "Go, go, go! Over the river!"  
  
"And through the woods?" Peter gasped.   
  
"NOW!" I yelled. I watched as my friends plunged through the icy water. Shannon, Dan, Peter, Molly, Veronica, Ann... Damn! Where was Frances? I turned back and saw her stumbling across the sand, trying to lug the ax that was just about as big as she was.  
  
  
"Frances!" I screamed. I ran to her. "Drop it, drop it!" I wrenched the ax from her hands. "C'mon!"  
  
I practically threw my little friend into the water, just as the Ringwraiths burst through the trees.   
  
I'm not stupid. I read the book AND saw the movie. I knew what happened to Frodo two scenes before this. I should've just jumped on in.   
  
But when that big old black horse came thundering down at me, I couldn't move. I took a swing with the ax, cutting across the legs of the horse. It whinnied and reared, and the dark rider threw his blade at me. I felt fire rip through my shoulder, and it made me reel in pain. I screamed and dropped the ax, falling back into the water.  
  
"Megan!" Peter and Shannon, who were already halfway across, came swimming back. I felt hands pull at me, and they dragged me across the water. We clambered up onto the opposite bank, coughing and gasping.  
  
Trying to ignore the pain in my shoulder, I stood. We all watched as the black riders slowly begin to cross the river.  
  
"Shannon!" I said. "What does she say in the movie? You know, shakalacka-ishba-boom and then water horses come!"  
  
Shannon looked panicked. "I don't know!"  
  
"You're the elf!" I yelled. "Do something!"  
  
Dropping her bow Shannon stretched her hands and fingers out towards the river. "BIG WATER HORSES!" she screamed, screwing her eyes closed and wiggling her fingers. "BIG FREAKIN' WATER HORSES!"   
  
We heard a tremendous roar, and Shannon opened one eye. The flood was coming, just like in the movie. We all leapt backwards as the water crashed around our feet, sweeping the black riders away.  
  
Molly, Ann, and Veronica cheered, waving their little hobbit-swords. I sighed, relieved, then gasped. The pain in my shoulder was unbearable. The world around me started going fuzzy and black dots swam in front of my eyes. I fell to my knees.  
  
"Megan!" Dan said, kneeling beside me. "Are you okay?"  
  
"Does she LOOK okay?" Frances asked, throwing her hands down at me. "God, Dan!"  
  
I took a deep breath. "Find... find Rivendell." I pointed to where the village had been in the movie. "Quickly..."  
  
And then everything went black. 


	2. Chapter Two

"Give it to me!" someone was calling.  
  
"No! I won't!" I clutched at my neck and flipped on to my stomach. "I won't! I won't! I... I..."  
  
I opened my eyes slowly, coughed, and pushed myself upright. My shoulder protested with a twinge of pain so I sat back and rubbed it.   
  
Then I looked up and gasped.  
  
Okay, this was NOT my bedroom. I was sitting on a golden bed with impossibly soft sheets. Sunlight streamed in from one window and illuminated the thick carpet and rosy walls. Amazed, I flipped back the covers and stood. I noticed my new clothes - soft white pants and a t-shirt and (just like in the movie) an embroidered jacket with thin gold chains.  
  
"Not bad," I said, twirling around. "Not bad at all." I noticed a mirror at the far end of the room. I walked over to it and grabbed a hairbrush from nearby. Piling my hair on top of my head with one hand and holding the brush beneath my mouth with the other, I began to talk to the mirror.  
  
"Yes, hello, this is Meg Hunter reporting *live* from her dreams. I seemed to have landed in the middle of Rivendell, complete with drifting flower petals and annoying background music. And now, back to you in the real world..." I chuckled and tried a different pose. With a fake accent I said, "Hello, My name is Elijah Wood and I play Frodo Baggins in The Lord of the Rings."  
  
"Pleased to meet you, Elijah."   
  
I yelped and jumped a foot in the air. When I turned, the elf that could only have been Elrond was standing in the doorway.   
  
I put the hairbrush down and let my hair fall back into place. "Well, ah, no, my name is really Meg."  
  
"Just - Meg?"  
  
I bit my lip and nodded. "Yup."  
  
"Well, Meg, how is your wound?"  
  
I put a hand across my shoulder. "It's fine, thanks," I said, quickly. This guy was creepy, and I took a step backwards.  
  
Elrond stared at me. "Nonsense. You had better let me see it."  
  
"It's fine!" I said, taking another step backwards. I grimaced as my shoulder throbbed.  
  
Elrond put hand on my shoulder. The throbbing eased and I sighed. He put his other hand under my chin and forced me to look at him. His eyes were puzzled as he spoke. "Who are you, really?"  
  
"I - I'm Meg."  
  
"No. You are not. Perhaps I should ask, *what* are you? And how did you come by the ring?"  
  
At the mention of the ring I broke away and put a protective hand around it. "It's MINE, okay?"   
  
I paled as I realized what I said.  
  
"Meg!" It was my friends, who swarmed around me, talking happily. "Meg, you're not going to BELIEVE the food here." Or, "Meg, I was so worried about you!" Or "Wait until you see the guys!" Or, "Are you okay?"  
  
Elrond smiled and left quietly, and I spent a cheerful afternoon catching up with my friends. They all had new clothing and looked clean, and I asked them about it.  
  
"Jesus Christ," Dan said, easing into a squashy armchair. "These people are so nice here. Anything you want - bang! - you got it."  
  
"Hm." I said. "Well, what if we don't want it?" I looked down at the ring.   
  
Somewhere in the distance a bell rang. "Dinner!" shouted Shannon, and grabbed my arm.   
  
"Why the rush?" I asked as she dragged me out the door.  
  
"She fancies that elf - what's his name?" Dan asked.  
  
"Legolas!" Peter laughed.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Slowly I began to adjust to Rivendell - the calm days and nights, and the wonderful food, and the strange people.   
  
We were eating breakfast one morning when I noticed an elf staring at Shannon.  
  
"Don't look now," I muttered around a mouthful of bread. "But that guy over there thinks you're hot stuff."  
  
Shannon glanced up then returned to her eggs, bright red. "You think so?" she asked, her voice higher than normal.  
  
I snickered. "Dude, he's looking at your ears!"  
  
Shannon reached out and tucked her hair back. "Well I can see why!" She gave her head a small shake and giggled. I watched as the elf blinked and put his elbow in the butter.  
  
"Who is that, anyway?" I asked as we got up to leave.  
  
"Legolas!" Shannon practically shrieked.  
  
  
Later that day we visited the archery grounds. I gave up after only a few experimental arrows. They never made it past the halfway mark - I was hopeless.  
  
Shannon, however, was adamant. "Dang it, I'm an elf!" she said, stomping the ground. "I should be better than this." She went to retrieve her arrows from the outer ring of the target.  
  
I rolled my eyes and went to sit on the fence, taking a swig of water from the skin we'd brought.  
  
Shannon yanked her arrows from the padding and jogged back fifty feet. She fitted one to the string, closed her right eye, and shot. The arrow whizzed just above the top of the target.  
  
"Urgh!" Shannon yelled, throwing her bow to the ground. "That's it. I give up." She started to remove her quiver.  
  
"No, don't!" called a soft voice behind me. I jumped and turned - I hadn't heard Legolas come up.  
  
He vaulted the fence and walked towards Shannon, who was standing with her mouth open. Smiling, Legolas picked up her bow and handed it to her. With her mouth still wide open, Shannon took it from his hands.   
"For an elf, you're an awfully bad shot," Legolas teased. "You're holding the bow all wrong."  
  
Shannon nodded, and I sent her mental messages to shut her mouth. She looked a bit like a fish.  
  
"Here, let me show you." Legolas stood behind her and put his hands over hers. They raised the bow. "Don't close one eye," he said softly. "It distorts your perspective. Now concentrate on the center of the target."  
  
*Whoosh!* Shannon let the arrow fly and it embedded itself firmly in the bull's eye. "Excellent!" Legolas slapped her back and stepped away.   
  
Shannon turned to face me and I started to laugh. She had that look on her face like little kids right before they wet their pants of joy. The thought only made me laugh harder and I had to grip the fence to keep from falling off.  
  
"Here, try again." Legolas handed Shannon another arrow. She was positively glowing.  
  
"You're friend's getting better." A voice said beside me. I looked down. It was a hobbit - a real hobbit. He had the same curly black hair and startling blue eyes Elijah had in the movie.  
  
"Are - are you Frodo?" I asked.   
  
"I am," the hobbit said, putting a foot up on the bottom rail of the fence and folding his arms over the top. "And you're Meg."  
  
"How did you know?"  
  
"Gandalf told me. Apparently he thinks very highly of you and your friends. Why else would he bring you here?"  
  
"He brought me here?" I asked, flabbergasted. "Get out..."  
  
"It's true, I swear," Frodo said, watching one of Shannon's arrows split the middle of the target. "He says you're a fighter."  
  
"Me? A fighter?" I laughed. "I was even worse than Shannon at archery."  
  
"Maybe your talents are in other areas. Have you ever tried the sword?" Frodo looked up at me, his blue eyes searching mine.  
  
"No," I said, unnerved. "I've never even touched one."  
  
"I could teach you," Frodo offered.  
  
I looked at the little guy - he was serious. I opened my mouth to say no, then hesitated.  
  
Frodo smiled and lifted one eyebrow.   
  
"Aw, what the heck," I said, jumping from the fence. I glanced back at Shannon, who looked like she'd died and gone to heaven. She'd be fine.  
  
"Follow me," Frodo said, and turned away. I chuckled to myself. When I was standing, he was half a head shorter than me. A hobbit? Teach me the sword? Yeah, right.  
  
Fifteen minutes later the clash of metal on metal told me how wrong I was.   
  
Frodo's blade whistled through the air and I blocked it just in time. "Watch my arms," he said. "Watch the muscles and see if you can tell what I'm going to do next."  
  
I nodded and hunched over in the sand of the practice grounds, griping the short blade with two hands.  
  
Frodo lunged, and I smacked his sword away. He parried, then I lunged. With a deft twist he sent my sword spinning out of my hands. I felt "Sting" at my collarbone.  
  
"Not so cocky now, eh?" he asked.  
  
"Oh, shut it."  
  
"As you wish." Frodo bent and picked my blade up. "Try again," he said as he handed it to me.  
  
The minutes ticked by, and I felt rather than saw an audience begin to grow. I worked harder and soon I could go maybe five minutes without having to scrabble for my sword.  
  
I began to tire, and I drew back. "Enough, enough," I said, laughing and wiping sweaty hair from my face.  
  
"Oh, come now," Dan had entered the practice grounds, sword drawn. "I'd like a try at you!"  
  
"Oh really," I said, raising my eyebrows. "We'll just see about that, Giraffe." Dan flinched at his old nickname and then swung.   
  
At first it seemed like the fight would fall to no one. Dan and I blocked, parried, and lunged, neither of us gaining an advantage. But my arm began to ache, and I was slower in blocking his swings. I began to back up, warily, and tripped over my own feet.  
  
Dan stood over me, laughing, his sword pointed right at the ring around my neck. "Who's the hero now?" he asked. "Why don't you give the ring to me?"  
  
"Never!" I gasped, my eyes wide.  
  
Dan growled and then hit my bad shoulder with the side of his blade.  
  
I yelled in pain and Dan stepped back. "Oh, god Meg I'm so sorry! Jesus Christ, I forgot about your shoulder!" His eyes were wide and he looked genuinely sorry. What was up with that?  
  
"Hey now, here now," Frodo said. "Are you all right?"  
  
"I'm fine." I growled, rubbing my shoulder and standing up. "But I think it's time I talked with this Gandalf," I added quietly. 


	3. Chapter Three

"You won't want to see Gandalf looking like that, though," Frodo said, as we made our way back from the practice grounds.  
  
I glanced down and my clothes, which were grimy from the practice ground sand. I sighed and tried to brush the worst of it off, but Frodo was right. I was going to need a bath first.  
  
"Why don't you ask Gandalf if I could have word, and I'll go freshen up in my room?" I said, pulling apart a tangle in my hair.  
  
"I'll do that," Frodo said. "I'll wait for you outside your room."  
  
I nodded and turned to wander back into my bedroom. In a basin at the far end I washed my face, neck, and arms, and tried (with moderate success) to get the knots out of my hair.  
  
I thumbed through the closet and found a simple blue dress that looked like it would fit. I slipped into it, enjoying the feel of the soft, cool fabric against my skin. The top was close fitting, but the sleeves and the skirt were deliciously loose and billowing.  
  
"That's more like it," I said, giving myself an appraising look in the mirror. "Dang, shoes!" I sat on the bed and pulled off my boots. Wiggling my toes, I hobbled back to the closet to find something suitable. A pair of white slippers did nicely, and I opened the door to my room.  
  
Frodo smiled and bowed. "You look lovely, Meg. If it pleases you, Gandalf will see you know."   
  
I grinned inwardly. God, I love this place.  
  
"Thank you," I said, following him down several hallways. Frodo stopped at a large wooden door and knocked.   
  
"Come in," called a voice from the other side. Frodo eased open the door and I had my first glimpse of Gandalf.  
  
He was sitting at a desk in the corner, leafing through piles of old parchment in strange characters I couldn't even read. His robe was gray and it flowed along to the ground, like a dirty river.   
  
Gandalf looked up at me suddenly, I and gulped. It was frightening to feel all that power eating into me. It felt like he was searching me.  
  
"Welcome, Meg," he said softly, breaking whatever spell he had cast. I found I could look away again and I shuddered.  
  
"That will be all, Frodo," Gandalf said, and the hobbit bowed and left. I was uneasy as I heard the door latch shut.  
  
"Mr. um.. uh, sir," I began, stuttering.  
  
"Gandalf," he said.  
  
"Ga..Gandalf," I said, "I must be dreaming. This is Rivendell, right? Right. So I must be dreaming."  
  
"No."  
  
"No? Oh, come on. I must be dreaming."  
  
"You are not."  
  
I sighed and slumped a bit. "I was afraid you would say that. Somewhere, somehow, this all feels to REAL. I was hoping you could tell me why I'm here."  
  
"I brought you here." Gandalf put down the papers. "I brought you here to bear the ring."  
  
My hand flew to my neck. "I think you've got the wrong girl."  
  
"I do not. I chose you, and only you."  
  
"Why?" I asked, in disbelief.  
  
"You a female, fifteen, and from a different world."  
  
"What does that have to do with the price of eggs?"  
  
Gandalf raised his eyebrows at my unusual question, but he got the idea. "Look at it this way. Sauron knows of men. He knows of elves, and dwarves, and hobbits. He even knows of wizards. But he does not know of," Gandalf gave me a small smile and his eyes twinkled. "Teenage girls."  
  
I had to think about that. "You know, that makes sense, in a backwards kind of way."  
  
Gandalf stood. "The way I see it, Sauron will be looking for the ring, but he will not be looking for YOU. Indeed, who would trust the ring to such a person?"  
  
Gandalf walked around me, and I stiffened. "But I know better. You are stubborn, determined, and ferocious in a pinch. You danced as a child, am I right? You are agile, quick on your feet, and long-suffering."  
  
Facing me again, Gandalf nodded. "You are the one."  
  
"What... what about Frodo?" I asked.  
  
"Should I have failed to bring you here, he would bear the ring."  
  
"But what about my friends?"  
  
"They will be your Company. All of them are as suited for this as you are."  
  
I felt dizzy, suddenly. "You want me to take the ring to Mordor? And chuck it in? Past all the Orcs and that spider thing and..." I felt like throwing up.   
  
Gandalf put a hand on my shoulder. "You do not have to. You have time yet before the council of Elrond, where its fate will be decided."  
  
"Gandalf," I whimpered. "It hurts already."  
  
He turned away. "It will only hurt worse."  
  
Tears welled up in my eyes, and I fled the room.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"Meg? What's wrong?"  
  
"Nothing, nothing," I wiped the tears away and turned to face Shannon. She was beaming and rocking back and forth on her toes. "What?" I asked, starting to smile, too. "What?"  
  
"Didn't you hear?" Shannon asked. I shook my head. "There's a party tonight! A feast and music and DANCING!" She twirled around my room, singing, very un-Shannon like.  
  
I laughed. Then Shannon turned to me and gasped. "What are we going to WEAR?" she asked. I giggled.   
  
"This is the first time I've heard you worry about what you're wearing." I grinned maliciously. "I don't think they have 'Invader Zim' t-shirts here."  
  
Shannon got that half-evil, half-amused look in her eye. With a yell she grabbed up a pillow from my bed and swung. I ducked, and grabbed a second.  
  
"Don't mess with me!" I said, taking a swing.  
  
"As if!" Shannon yelled, thunking me a good one.  
  
I reeled. "But I am LORD OF THE PILLOWS!" Whack! I hit her upside those glue on ears.  
  
Shannon giggled and hit me again, and her pillow exploded. We both stopped and spat out feathers, and then laughed till it hurt.  
  
"But seriously," I said, when I was done gasping. "What are we wearing?" I walked over to the closet and began pulling out clothes. "I don't see anything but dresses."  
  
"A dress? No way." Shannon followed me.   
  
I shrugged. "Fine. Go in the nude."  
  
"I'll take that one," Shannon said quickly, picking out an absolutely gorgeous dress. It was a soft blue, cut in an "empire" - a short top and then a long, flowing skirt. It shimmered in the light, and, as Shannon fought her way into it, it was a perfect fit.  
  
I smiled. "Wow, you look really pretty."  
  
"Thanks," Shannon twirled in the mirror. "But what are you gonna wear?"   
  
I pawed through the clothes, finally deciding on a beautiful white dress. It had a very high neck, almost a turtleneck, which was good because it meant I could wear the ring without attracting attention to it. The top of the dress was loose and ribbed, but a waistband of silver that tied in the back made the skirt puff out and fall right around my ankles.   
  
I grinned. "What do you think?"  
  
Shannon smirked and gave me a double thumbs up.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
The party that night was amazing. Long banquet tables filled with all kinds of delicious food glowed in the candlelight, and soft music was playing.  
  
After a while people stopped eating and began to dance. My friends and I watched, interested.  
  
"Excuse me," Legolas said, coming up to Shannon. "May I have this dance?"  
  
Shannon stared, open mouthed, and her spoon fell with a clatter to her bowl. I waited for her to move, or at least say something, but she didn't. Reaching over I gave her a sharp jab with my fork.  
  
"Ya-OW! Oh, ah, oh... yes." Her voice squeaked a bit, but she got up, brushed her skirt down, and took the arm that Legolas offered. As he led her away Shannon looked back at me, grinning and wiggling her eyebrows.   
  
Somebody tapped my shoulder - Frodo. "Would it please you to dance?" he asked, bowing.  
  
I stood, smiling. "Very much," I said, but I knew it would be awkward trying to dance with someone a foot and a half shorter than me.  
  
Out on the dance floor, Frodo taught me the steps of their version of a waltz. One step to the right, one step to the left, three steps in a circle and one step back. It was hard to get the hang of, but I got it, eventually. I looked over to see how Shannon was doing, and burst out laughing.  
  
She was teaching Legolas the Macarena.  
  
"Hee-ey, Macrena," Shannon sang, swiveling her hips. She and Legolas jumped and clapped their hands. "Aye!"  
  
Frodo smiled at me. "Is something wrong?"  
  
I fought to get control of myself. "No - no, nothing."  
  
The song ended, and Legolas stopped in the middle - with one hand out in front and one hand behind his head. He looked disappointed as he let his arms fall.  
  
The next song struck up, and people began a new dance, forming a circle. "Here, Meg," Frodo said, "I bow, you curtsy. Then one step to your right, one to the left, two forward, one back, you spin under my arm," (I had to duck for that part) "One to the right, one to the left, two back this time, one forward, we bow again, and you go to the next person."  
  
"I - what?" But it was two late, I found myself dancing with another guy.   
  
"Galen Silverbirch," the elf said, as he bowed. "M-Meg Hunter," I replied, curtsying.   
  
Galen smiled. "It's a social dance, you see, to meet new people. You keep going around in a circle until you come back to your first."  
  
"I see," I said, concentrating on getting the steps right. One back.. one... oh, sugar. Despite my less than coordinated dancing Galen smiled as we parted.   
  
"Finrod Garulf," said my next partner, bowing. "You are Meg, are you not?"   
  
"I am," I said, as we began to dance. "Does everyone know that?"  
  
"Perhaps. Its not often we get so unusual a guest here."  
  
"Unusual?" I resisted the urge to put a protective hand around the ring. Finrod just smiled as he bowed away.  
  
"Dan the Giraffe," the next guy bowed.  
  
I grinned. "Meg the Egg," I said, in all nick-name-fairness. Dan put his hand on my waist and we started to dance. "It's so weird here, you know?" I said. "I keep feeling like it's a dream."  
  
"I know! All these hot elf-babes..."   
  
"Dan!"  
  
"What?" he asked, pretending to be indignant. I giggled as I spun under his arm.  
  
"But Dan, what was up with you today at the practice grounds?"  
  
Dan didn't answer, and it was time to move on.  
  
I had a succession of very cute elf partners, but then - "Aragorn, son of Arathorn."  
  
"Meg Hunter," I fought to keep my voice from trembling. One serious scary guy, here.  
  
As we danced he stared at my face. I met his eyes defiantly. "You don't think I can do it," I whispered, accusingly.   
  
"What makes you say that?"  
  
"You're looking at me weird."  
  
"I doubt your physical strength, that is all," he twirled me around, as if to prove it.  
  
I thought carefully for a response. "Then perhaps you would coach me. I am stronger than I look."  
  
Aragorn nodded his approval, and bowed away.  
  
"Legolas Greenleaf."  
  
I giggled, in spite of myself. "I'm Meg, Shannon's friend." Legolas smiled.   
  
"Shannon is... interesting. She has strange customs for an elf..." He looked down at me. "For example, this Mak-ker-ena. Is it a healing dance?"  
  
I shrugged, shaking my head and smiling. "Sure."  
  
Legolas looked over my shoulder to where Shannon was dancing and sighed. I rolled my eyes and waited for the next dancer.  
  
  
  
  
When the night was over I said goodnight to all my friends and to Frodo and waltzed back to my room. Shannon came with me, pulling petals off a flower she had taken from the hallway.  
  
"He loves me, he love me not," she was muttering. "He loves me, he..." Shannon stopped. There was one petal left. She was silent for a moment, then - "He loves me!" she repeated, throwing the last petal away, gleefully.  
  
I shook my head. "Good night, Shannon." I went into my room, sighing, thinking that the night's surprises were over.  
  
Boy, was I wrong.  
  
I paused just inside the door - something was wrong. But before I could turn around I felt someone grab me from behind, and before I could scream, I felt a knife at my throat.   
  
"Give me the ring," a low voice demanded. 


	4. Chapter Four

"Give me the ring!" the stranger repeated.  
  
I stiffened and gulped, very audibly. This called for some quick thinking.  
  
"It's..." I began, squeaking a bit. "It's in the dresser over there." I bit my lip and prayed he would believe me.  
  
My attacker pulled the knife away, and, with a laugh of triumph, began to rifle through the dresser. I turned and ran for the door, but the figure in the dark cloak sensed my betrayal and leapt after me.   
  
I tore down the hallway for all I was worth, but he caught up with me and tackled me to the ground. We rolled out of the hallway out into a balcony over looking a small river.  
  
He growled and slammed me against the marble. My head ringing, I slipped to the side, narrowly avoiding the knife. We tumbled against the balustrade, then felt it give way.  
  
I screamed as we plummeted down, right past Aragorn and Arwen. If we had been in the movies, I would have knocked the subtitles into the first row. They stopped cooing to each other in elfish and stared, astonished.  
  
Scrambling from his grabbing fingers, I snatched up a flowerpot and smashed it over the stranger's head.   
  
He groaned and dropped, and I peered closer. I reached out to pull the hood back and -  
  
With a snarl the attacker grabbed me I felt the knife slide along my arm. I screamed and kicked him in the stomach, hard as I could. He let go of my neck scrambled away.   
  
Aragorn (finally deciding to come to my rescue) chased after him for a moment, then gave up and came back. He and Arwen pulled me to my feet. I felt my head loll against them, and I couldn't seem to find my balance.  
  
Arwen muttered something and my head cleared. "Still don't think I can do it?" I asked Aragorn.   
  
"You're bleeding," he said, setting me on my feet.  
  
I held my arm, gingerly, then smiled. "It's just a flesh wound." They didn't get it, but I wasn't about to explain 'Monty Python' to them.   
  
"Let me take you to Elrond," Arwen said.  
  
"And in the morning," Aragorn said sternly, as she led me away, "You are to report, with the rest of your Company, to me."  
  
  
I had no idea what he meant, but right after breakfast my friends and I were rounded up and marched out into the practice yards. It was brutal. We all needed to get in shape, desperately, and Aragorn was going to see to that! Push up, sit ups, running up and down stairs, archery, horseback riding, fencing. Finally, long after the lunch bell rang, Aragorn dismissed us.  
  
"But Meg, stay," he said, and I turned back with a groan.   
  
"What?" I asked.  
  
"Let me see you do another thirty push-ups."  
  
Aching all over, I fell to my knees and got into push-up position. "One!" I gasped through clenched teeth. "Two! Thr-umph." I fell into the dirt and stayed there.  
  
His armor jangling, Aragorn got down so his face was in mine. "That's not good enough."  
  
I spat dirt and got up to try again.  
  
If this was a movie, this would be the part where they start playing the inspirational music. "Chariots of Fire," maybe. Or if I had my way, Elton John and Billy Joel singing "You May Be Right." Anyway, you'd see me gasping up the stairs, falling into push ups, missing the target. Then you'd see me panting up the stairs, shaking into pushups, hitting the outer rim. And finally, racing up the stairs, doing one handed pushups with a hobbit on my back (okay, I lied about the hobbit) and smacking the almost-bull's eye.   
  
I even got better at the sword. Yeah, so I wasn't Zena, but I could hold my ground against Aragorn. I was BUFF!  
  
  
But I was worried. The council of Elrond was tomorrow, and I still hadn't made up my mind about the ring. Would I offer to take it, or not?   
  
Seeking peace from the hustle and bustle of Rivendell, I climbed a tower and leaned out into the evening air. The golden sun was setting slowly, and a bird chirped in my ear. I sighed and put my arms over the wall, letting a gentle breeze tease my hair.  
  
"Are you going to take the ring or not?"   
  
I turned around - it was Peter. I smiled at my friend. He was kinda cute, actually, with dull red hair and a spattering of freckles. And in his green tunic, with the setting sun shining over him, he looked so... elfish, I guess.  
  
"I don't know," I said, turning back. Below me I could see the rest of "my" Company staging a sword fight with blunt practice swords. They whooped and cheered tried to disarm each other. Any other day it would have made me smile, but tonight I just felt cold.  
  
"How many children do you think are in Rivendell?" I asked, suddenly.   
  
"What?" Peter looked confused.  
  
"Or, for that matter, all of Middle Earth. How many children?"  
  
Peter shrugged. "Must be thousands."  
  
I thought of all those children. I thought of what would happen if the ring wasn't destroyed - I saw them all in chains, or dead, or watching as their houses burned. I saw them crying for their parents, or begging for mercy, or dying.  
  
I hit the wall so hard that I yelled in pain.  
  
"Meg, Meg! Easy!" Peter took my hand and massaged it. "What's wrong?"  
  
"I'll do it." I said, quietly. "I'll take the ring."   
  
Peter looked very serious, then leaned over and kissed my cheek. Trying not to cry, I hugged him tight.  
  
  
Finally, it the day of the Council of Elrond came about. Shannon helped me pick out what to wear. "Not black," she said. "It's too eeeevil looking, you know? But not white, that's too innocent."  
  
"Well, what then?" I asked. "Khaki?"  
  
"Actually, yeah," Shannon held up a nice pair of pants and a billowing shirt. "This'll do."  
  
"What are you wearing?" I asked.  
  
"Green."  
  
"Leaf?" I chuckled.  
  
"Shut up."  
  
We got dressed and sat on the bed. Shannon kneeled behind me and began brushing out my hair.   
  
"I'm so nervous," I said, fingering the ring around my neck. "They have to pick us, don't they? I mean what if they say 'no, go back to high school'?"  
  
"They won't," Shannon said, making a braid down the back of my head. "They can't. We've worked too hard. Ready? One, two three!"  
  
We both curled our arms in wrestling poses and growled at each other. (We'd been practicing.)  
  
"We are buff!" I said, looking at Shannon's arms. "You've got muscles, girl!"  
  
"I know. Legolas and I have been making out - WORKING OUT!" Shannon hit her forehead, violently. "I MEANT WORKING OUT!"  
  
I snorted. "Wait, what did you say?"  
  
Shannon put her hands over her face, redder than I have EVER seen her. "I meant WORKING OUT! I SWEAR!"  
  
I was shaking with laughter. "But you said - "  
  
"I know what I said and it's NOT TRUE, OKAY?" Shannon looked away, her voice bitter.  
  
"Oh, sorry." I said, blushing a little myself. "Turn around and I'll do your hair."  
  
Shannon spun on the bed, making the covers wrinkle. She pulled up her legs and put her chin on her knees. I brushed her long blonde hair, slowly, thinking. "You know, I really think I want to take this ring. It would be the adventure of a lifetime..."  
  
  
  
  
I fidgeted in my seat, nervous. All around me, scary looking men, elves, and dwarfs kept staring at us.  
  
Finally, it was my turn. "Bring the ring forward," somebody said, and I snapped out of my 'zone'. I walked forward, unclasped the golden chain, and let the ring slide off it. It rested in my palm, cool, smooth, beautiful. All of a sudden, I didn't want to put it down. I wanted to hold it forever - mine, my preci-  
  
With a sudden mental effort, I turned my hand upside down and watched as the ring fell onto the pedestal. I sighed relief and looked at Gandalf. He nodded and I stumbled back to my seat.  
  
"As I said before," Gandalf said, standing. "I have watched these young men and women and they are of the very highest morals. They are strong and courageous, and they will easily escape the notice of even the most watchful spy. They should take the ring."  
  
"Children?" asked the real Boromir, standing. "You would trust the most powerful weapon ever known to children? What kind of joke is this?"  
  
"They are not children," Aragorn said. "I have watched them, and they do not behave as children. As Gandalf said, they are strong."  
  
"Strong?" Boromir snarled. "Strong as what? They are girls..."  
  
Dan and Peter frowned, but Legolas jumped to his feet. "You will not speak of them with such mockery! Anyone of them could outshoot, outrun, or outfight you, Boromir!"  
  
(I thought that was a little far-fetched, but Shannon had that 'my hero' look on her face.)  
  
"Should we see about that?" Boromir asked, drawing his sword. My hand flew to my waist, before I even realized I wasn't armed.   
  
"Is that a challenge?" Legolas asked, his eyes flashing.  
  
"Legolas! Boromir! That is enough!" Elrond said.  
  
I stood, slowly, and everything fell quiet. My mouth was dry and I'm sure everyone could here my heart beating out of control but I fought to keep my voice calm.  
  
"You all have every right to doubt me," I said, quietly. "I am a stranger here, and a young one. But what Gandalf said is true - I am strong, I am worthy. What's more, I think I know how to prove my worth." I walked back to the pedestal, and put my hand just inches above the ring. "There is nothing harder then to bear the ring. It eats away at you, every day. It sings to you, keep me, keep me. It becomes," I said as I snatched up the ring. "Your precious."  
  
Now I turned to Elrond, holding the ring tight in one fist. "The only power greater than the ring," I gulped. "Is the power to give it up. Few here have it - Gandalf, Frodo, perhaps, and mostly likely you, Elrond." I took a step closer. "Now, I would like to prove that I have this power, as well."  
  
Elrond held out his hand. Everything went slightly fuzzy at the edges, and the ring sang in my hand - keep me, keep me, keep me, keep me, keep me, keep me...  
  
It was hard to breathe, and my fingers were rigid. One by one I opened them, then tipped my hand to the side. For one perilous instant, the ring was sideways against my hand, and then it fell.  
  
Elrond kept his palm open around the ring, and I closed my eyes. Every nerve in my body sang out to snatch it back up, but I took a step backwards. Then another, and another. Sighing with relief, I turned and walked back to my seat.  
  
Elrond stood. "This is proof enough for me," he said, coming towards me. "And proof enough for me should be proof enough for all."   
  
I held out my hand and Elrond put the ring in it. Oh, it felt so good to have the ring back - I thought, guiltily. So very good...  
  
I threaded it back on to the chain and put it around my neck, where the cool metal soothed my beating heart with a malicious kind of power. It was like stealing a cookie and getting away with it, times a million. I resisted the urge to smile.  
  
"Who else will join this company?" Elrond asked. I looked up and bit my lip.  
  
"I will," Aragorn, said standing.   
  
"I will, as well," Legolas said. That's it. This time I'm SURE Shannon wet herself.  
  
"As will I," Gandalf was the last to stand.  
  
"Very well," Elrond said, nodding. "You will be the Fellowship of the Ring."  
  
(Cue dramatic music).  
  
  
  
"Wait a second," I said, as the Fellowship was leaving. "I'm one, Shannon's two, Frances - three, Molly - four, Veronica - five, Ann - six, Dan - seven, Peter - eight, Aragorn - nine, Legolas - ten, Gandalf - eleven." I ticked them off on my fingers. "Eleven. I thought there were supposed to be nine!"  
  
Gandalf chuckled softly. "You humans and your 'magic numbers'. The more the better, I say." He bent and spoke only in my ear. "How many Orcs were there in the movie?"   
  
"A whole sh... but load."  
  
"And you think nine can hold them off?"  
  
I quieted.  
  
  
  
  
  
The sun streaming in through the window woke me, on my very last day in Rivendell. I sat up, put a hand to my neck to check on the ring, then yawned and stretched. The traveling clothing I had picked out last night lay at the foot of the bed, along with a surprise.  
  
Lying on top of my clothes was a shirt, but not just any shirt. It was made of chain mail links that were impossibly tiny. They shone in the early morning light and I gasped as I lifted it up - it must have weighed less than a pound.   
  
It was Frodo's Mithril-coat.  
  
"I can't take this!" I whispered. "It's worth unbelievable amounts of money and I don't ne-" The image of Elijah Wood being speared by the troll's javelin thing swam before my eyes. I shut up and put the Mithril on underneath my clothes.   
  
Shannon entered a moment later, looking impressive in tall leather boots, hunting clothes, and a quiver slung over her cape. She smiled and helped me into my cloak.  
  
"Ready?" she asked.  
  
"Ready," I said, taking one last look around the room that had become home to me. Together, we walked outside.  
  
I stared at my friends, astonished. Veronica looked beautiful with her black curls pulled back and a short hobbit-sword at her waist. Molly had let her fiery red hair tumble about her shoulders, and Ann wore hers in a bun, with wisps of golden blonde falling around her face. Even little Frances looked imressive, holding the dwarf axe with the air of one who knows how to use it. Peter was striking in one of those tunics that made me think of the Three Musketeers, and both he and Dan sported long swords and shields. I took a second look at Dan. (Dang, not bad, not bad...).  
  
Aragorn, dressed in black, with his dark hair falling around his face was fierce and imposing, and Legolas was stern, upright, proud. Gandalf adjusted his gray wizard's hat and held his staff close.  
  
"Meg?" I looked down - it was Frodo. "Meg, I want you to have this," he said, holding out a belt and scabbard. I took them from his hands and drew the sword. I gasped - it was Sting.  
  
"Frodo, I can't take this," I said, my eyes wide.  
  
"Of course you can," he said softly. "I insist!"  
  
"Frodo, thank you," I breathed, putting Sting around my waist.  
  
"Come back safely, Meg," he said quietly, then stood on tip-toe. I bent down and he gave me a kiss on both cheeks.  
  
My throat felt tight. "Good-bye, Frodo." I turned away, brushing tears from my eyes.  
  
"Oh. My. God." Shannon said, sliding up next to me. "That was THE CUTEST thing I have ever seen!"  
  
"Shannon?"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Shut up."  
  
"Shutting!"  
  
  
With a nod from Gandalf, we set out - First Gandalf, then Aragorn, then Peter, Molly, Ann, Veronica, Dan, me, and Shannon, with Legolas in the rear. As we walked out into the forests, I felt my heart swell with pride. We were the Fellowship of the Ring -  
  
and I -  
  
I was the ring bearer. 


	5. Chapter Five

We kept walking along, Shannon and Legolas talking quietly, Molly leading the pony I had forgotten to mention about until now, and Gandalf arguing softly with Aragorn.  
  
I trudged along, silently. Everything seemed to be going allright until -  
  
Legolas stopped abruptly and fitted an arrow to his bow in the blink of an eye. "Listen!" he hissed, and we all halted.  
  
Over to the left, someone (or something) was coming, crashing through the bushes, snapping twigs, fighting through the undergrowth.  
  
I drew Sting and was releaved to see it wasn't glowing blue. Shannon copied Legolas and put an arrow to her bow, while Gandalf gripped his staff.  
  
With a snap, the intruder emerged from the trees. It was a girl - about my age, I guessed. She was wearing sandals, khaki shorts, a blue t-shirt, and a baseball cap with the number three on it. She hefted her back pack, adjusted her earphones, and pushed her glasses up on her nose.  
  
Smiling and making a huge "W" with her thumbs and first two fingers, the girl screamed - "WEEZER!"  
  
We all stared, astonished. I was the first to find my voice. "W-what?"  
  
"WEEZER!"  
  
"WHAT?" everyone in the company said, in unision.  
  
The girl pushed at her glasses. "You mean this isn't the Hartford Civic Center?"  
  
"No," I said, confused out of my mind.  
  
The girl shrugged. "WEEZER!" she yelled, making the "W", then turned crashed back through the trees.  
  
Everything was quiet for a long time.  
  
"I," Aragorn said, putting his sword back in his scabbard. "Am not even going to ask."  
  
"But I will," said Legolas. "What was THAT?"  
  
Gandalf shook his head. "I believe that was someone from your world, Meg. It seems that when I weakened the barriers to bring you through, others came as well..." Gandalf looked grave. "Do you have any enemies back there?"  
  
I chuckled. "Compaired to Sa-" Shannon kicked me. "Compared to you-know-who, no way."  
  
"Come then." We all got back into line and continued on our way.  
  
The sunlight started to fade, and the forest became spookier and spookier. The trees were tall and dark around the uneven path, and the leaves rustled beneath my feet.  
  
Then the sun set completely, and the ring felt suddenly cold - much colder than it ever had.  
  
"Who are you?" someone whispered.  
  
"What?" I said, looking around.  
  
"Where are you?" The voice was hissing and cold, and I felt goosebumps all up and down my skin.  
  
I turned to Shannon. "Did you hear that?"  
  
Shannon looked at me funny. "Hear what?"  
  
"That voice," I said. "It's like..."  
  
"I will find you..." the voice said, and died away.   
  
"Meg, are you okay?" Shannon asked.   
  
"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine." I shook my head and kept walking.   
  
It's a good thing the night was dark. It's a good thing we were all walking in single file. But most of all, it's a good thing I was wearing a high collared shirt - because it meant that none of us saw the ring glow white, then red, then flash black.  
  
  
  
"We'll make camp here for the night," Aragorn said, looking around a clearing underneath a big, old, tree.   
  
We didn't make a fire, but I was content with an apple and a few slices of bread. Molly tossed me a blanket from the pony, and I was quite comfortable lying on the ground. I rolled up my cloak for a pillow and settled in between two tree roots.  
  
Shannon lay down on one side of me and was asleep in an instant, but I stayed awake, staring at the moonlight. Around me, I could hear my friends whispering, then dropping off to sleep.  
  
A twig snapped behind me and I sat bolt upright, gasping softly. Legolas, who was keeping watch, turned around and our eyes met.  
  
"Go to sleep," he said, smiling. "I'll be awake, I promise."  
  
Shannon chose that exact moment to snore, and I giggled. Legolas smiled at her, then turned back to me. "I'll be watching, don't worry," he said.  
  
I nodded and lay back down, trying to calm myself. It was probably just a stupid middle-earth squirell, or something, I tried to tell myself.   
  
Wrong. But I wouldn't find that out until later.  
  
  
  
When I woke, the first drops of rain were starting to patter down on the trees above us. But by late afternoon, it was pouring rain. I pulled my cloak over my head and whiped sopping hair out of my eyes, trying to stay warm.  
  
It was impossible to know when the sun set behind those clouds, but I think I could take a guess at it - because all of the sudden the ring went deathly cold against my skin.  
  
I gasped and stopped, causing Shannon to bang into the back of me.  
  
"What's wrong?" she asked, but her voice sounded far away.  
  
I shook my head and the feeling faded. "Nothing, nothing, I just stubbed my toe."  
  
The rain came pouring down even harder then, and lightening forked the sky. I jumped and the pony reared as thunder clapped above us. Wind whistled through the trees, making them reach out and snatch at us all.  
  
"We'll camp here!" Aragorn shouted against the wind, "Until the storm passes!"  
  
I found the biggest tree I could and huddled against it. Aragorn and Legolas wrestled with the pony while everyone else clumped together, passing out some rather wet apples.  
  
I wasn't hungry, so I stayed where I was, folding my arms against my chest and shivering. Then I heard a noise and turned.   
  
"Ohgod- hel-!" my cry, already weak against the storm, was cut off by a pair of strong hands. I recognized the dark cloak from before as I wrestled with the stranger. I kick at his shins, but he drew the knife from before and stabbed it into my side.  
  
I grunted as it hit the Mithril-coat, knocking the wind out of me.  
  
*Whizzz-shik* The stranger screamed as one of Shannon's arrows dug into his back. With a cry of rage he darted into the night, lost in the wild dancing of the trees.  
  
I sank to my knees and loosed the knife from where it was caught in my shirt. Shannon ran and knelt beside me as I tossed the knife away, disgusted.  
  
"Are you okay?" she asked.  
  
I threw my arms around her neck. "Oh, my god, Shannon, thank you!"  
  
"Aw, it was nothing," she said, hugging me back. "Anytime. But who WAS that masked man?"  
  
Turning to look back into the forest, I gulped. "I have no idea."  
  
  
  
  
The next day was cold, but at least it was dry. Several times I thought I heard a twig snap, or footsteps on the road behind us, but Shannon and Legolas were just as quick - and when we turned, there was nothing.  
  
Then the sun set, and once again the ring was suddenly icy against my skin. I clentched my teeth until the feeling passed. Taking a deep breath, I quickened by pace to catch up.  
  
That night we camped underneath a low, overhanging cliff - the beginings of what would later turn out to be the Misty Mountains. I sighed and settled down, trying to shake off the feeling of growing dread.  
  
"I'll take first watch," Aragorn said, tying the pony to a low branch.   
  
Legolas and Gandalf nodded, and the elf came to sit next to Shannon. He said something in elfish to her, and Shannon chuckled. I was a little bit jealous - I didn't know she knew his language. Shannon murmured something back, and then put her head on his shoulder. He sighed and closed his eyes.  
  
I leaned over and started singing, very quietly. "Whaa-whaa-WAAA...let's get it on..."   
  
Shannon's eyes flew up. "Meg?" she hissed.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Shut. Up."  
  
"Shutting!" I said cheerfully, and turned back the other way.  
  
  
  
The next day was pretty uneventful, except for the ring turning cold at sunset. I had no idea what it meant, but I didn't say anything. I didn't want the others to think I was wimping out...  
  
On the fourth day of our journey, in addition to the ring turning icy, I had another visit from the stranger. I was lying down, on the verge of sleeping, when I heard footsteps behind me. I snatched up Sting and kicked out at Shannon. "Do you hear that?" I asked. She sat upright and scrabbled for her bow.   
  
"Yeah," she said, putting an arrow on the string. In the moonlight, we could barely make out a dark figure against the trees. He stared at us for a while, then turned away into the night.   
  
My heart beating in my mouth, I turned to Shannon. "That is beyond freaky."  
  
"Agreed."  
  
Neither of us slept much that night.  
  
  
  
Dragging my feet along on the fifth day, I realized how nervous night-fall was making me. As soon as the sun began to set, I started to shiver and rub my arms, waiting anxiously until the ring flashed cold, then died away. It seemed like every night it got just a little colder...  
  
  
And that night I had a nightmare.  
  
Now we've all had nightmares where we're falling out of trees or running from a tiger or getting to math class only to realize there's a test on chapters 1-87.  
  
But those are nothing compared to what I was dreaming now.  
  
I dreamt it was dark, dark except for a single white hand in front of me. The hand was shriveled and cold, and it stroked my cheek with a laugh. I gagged and tried to turn my head away from the clammy touch and the smell of rotting flesh, but I couldn't move.  
  
Somebody laughed, and I felt cold sweat break out on my forehead. "Who are you?" a hissing voice asked. "Who are you?"  
  
*I am nobody!* I thought, as hard as I could. *NOBODY!*  
  
The voice laughed and the hand inched down my neck. I stiffened as it reached down my shirt, groping for the ring...  
  
  
  
  
With a jolt I sat bolt upright, panting and feeling the tears stream down my face. The camp was quiet, and I pulled my blanket up to my neck, trying to calm down.   
  
A nightmare - that's all. I told myself.  
  
But I didn't feel like sleeping again. Pulling my cloak around myself, I huddled up next to the flickering flames of our dying campfire.  
  
"Hey,"   
  
I looked up - it was Peter. "Mind if I sit?" he asked.  
  
I shook my head.  
  
"Are you okay?" he asked, hankering down next to me.   
  
I clentched my teeth. "A nightmare," I said, shivering. "I had a nightmare, that's all."   
  
Peter put his arm around me and we sat like that for a while.  
  
"You know," Peter said, looking up at the sky. "I think it's really cool that you're taking the ring - no, beyond cool. I thought about what you said up in the tower that day - and I realized what you meant. You're not taking the ring for yourself, are you? You're taking it for everyone else. That's what makes you so unbelievable."   
  
I blushed. "That's sweet. But I don't know ... I don't know if I can do this." I looked at Peter, who was staring me straight in the face. I gulped. "But I know I can't do this alone."  
  
Peter frowned, and I blushed again. "What?" I said.  
  
Peter put his other arm around my waist and kissed me, suddenly. I gasped, startled, then closed my eyes. "I'll be here for you," Peter whispered, then kissed me again.  
  
(And he's not a bad kisser, either.)  
  
  
  
Peter and I had sat with our backs to a tree, and I must've fallen asleep because I woke up with my head on his shoulder.  
  
"Whaa-whaa-WAAA!" sang a voice in my ear. "Let's get it -"  
  
"Shannon?" I snapped, frowning.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Shut up."  
  
"Shutting!" Chuckling evilly, Shannon crawled away.  
  
Peter blushed and stood, then gave me a hand up.  
  
As we set out that day, I realized that I could see the Misty Mountains, not to far away from here. The trees thinned, the path grew steepier and rockier, and the sun began to sink in the sky.  
  
I shivered, my heart beating a little faster, then clentched my teeth as the ring grew cold. I groaned softly, under my breath.  
  
Shannon poked me in the back. "You okay?"  
  
"I'm fine," I snapped, pulling my cloak around my shoulders. "I'm tramping through a dark forest in the middle of Middle Earth on my way to certain doom carrying a magical inplement of death on a chain 'round me neck. What could be better?"  
  
"I was just asking..." 


	6. Chapter Six

The next day, the tress thinned out completely and I stumbled, turning my ankles on the grassy rocks. In the late afternoon the company settled down in the shade of some boulders and made dinner - some kind of cooked meat that tasted really good after a long day of walking.  
  
I yawned and stretched then stood up to let the blood flow back into my legs. There was a flat, sandy plot just below the biggest bolder, and I scrambled down to it and stretched some more. I bent over and rubbed my aching calves, then leaned over backwards to click my bones into place.   
  
Shannon thumped down from the bolder above, and stood there, smiling.  
  
Feelingly decidedly silly all of a sudden, I drew Sting. "En guard!" I shouted.  
  
"Oh, you want a piece of me?" Shannon asked. "Bring it!" She drew her own short bladed sword.  
  
We circled each other for a second, then leapt forward with a battle cry. I made three strikes at Shannon, who blocked each one accurately. Shannon lunged, I parried, she parried back...   
  
"'Ksher!" (evil one) Legolas yelled, sliding from around the rocks. "You would hurt milady Shannon? Caela ie'lle!" (Have at thee!)  
  
"No - fair!" I panted, blocking a blow from the elf. "Two - to - one!"  
  
"Fear not, valiant Meg," Aragorn had come up behind me. He drew his sword with a rasp of metal. "I will dispose of the ruffians."  
  
I smirked at Shannon, then ducked as she threw a mushroom at me. I tossed aside Sting and reached for a handful of the funky fungi myself.   
  
"Mushroom fight!" I yelled. "How golden are these?" Thawp - Shannon reeled as I smacked her one on the forehead. Shannon leapt for me, smashing a mushroom down over my hair. I yelled and fell backwards, banging into Aragorn.   
  
I expected him to laugh or pretended to be indignant, but he was strangely silent, looking up at the sky.   
  
"What is it?" I asked, suddenly hushed.  
  
"Crebain!" he whispered. "Spies - Hide!"  
  
I glanced up at the sky and noticed the swarm of black birds... I snatched up Sting from where it had fallen, grabbed my pack, and slid underneath the nearest rock. Trying not to breathe I pressed myself against the cold stone.  
  
Squawking and screaming the birds tore across the sky. I closed my eyes against the sound of their wings chopping through the air...  
  
In a minute, all was quiet. I crawled from underneath the rock. Everyone else slowly emerged, shaking their heads at the disappearing swarm.  
  
"We'll have to risk Caradhras," Gandalf said quietly.  
  
I turned my back - the sun was setting. Caradhras - I thought. It's going to be so cold.  
  
At that moment the ring flashed ice down to my toes.   
  
So very cold.  
  
  
  
(On Caradhras)  
I yelled as I lost my balance on the slippery snow, and began tumbling down the mountainside. Digging my heels in and crying out as something sharp dug at the side of my face, I managed to stop myself.  
  
I coughed up snow and stood, gingerly feeling the scratch on my cheek with numb fingers. I remembered this part in the movie, and my hand flew to my neck, searching for the chain I already knew wouldn't be there.  
  
With a cry of despair I sank to my knees and began digging through the drifting snow, frantic. Then I looked up and stopped.  
  
Dan had the ring.  
  
I stood and licked my lips. Dan smirked. "One. Little. Ring." he laughed. "So much fuss for one little ring. And Megan - little old Megan hero of the day."  
  
I reached out a hand and snatched the ring back.   
  
Aragorn's face twitched and he released his hold on his sword.  
  
Dan smiled at me, and I took a step backwards. Something in his eyes told me he wasn't the Dan I had known before...  
  
"We must continue!" said Gandalf, and I began trudging up the snow once more. At first it was ankle deep, then knee deep, and finally waist deep - so deep that I felt like I was swimming rather than walking.  
  
The mountain fell off sharply to the left, and the wind whistled through the air. Snowflakes whipped into my face, painfully, and I gasped at the thin air. My hands and feet were completely numb, and patches of my exposed face grew red and raw.  
  
Shannon, however, seemed to inherit the lighter than air elf feet, and she and Legolas walked along the top of the snow, chatting in elvish.   
  
I narrowed my eyes and dug my fingers into the snow in front of me. I will get through this, I thought violently. I will. I will. I w -   
  
My head snapped up - all of a sudden, there was a voice on the wind. It was deep and dark and almost inaudible. "G-Gandalf?" I gasped. "Aragorn? Wha-? "  
  
There was a rumbling overhead, and I started to shake. "What is goin-" Then I screamed, and threw my arms up over my head.  
  
If you have never had snow up your nose, consider yourself lucky. The avalanche that covered the entire company was brutal - my head snapped back painfully, my arms were flung behind me, and snow packed in my clothing, my ears, my eyes, my nose...  
  
  
I want to go home, I thought. Just die here in the cold and go home...  
  
Legolas punched through the snow violently, and Shannon half a second later. Frances fought her way up, followed by a gasping Ann, Veronica, and Molly. Gandalf melted the snow with a crack, and Dan and Peter dragged their shields from below.  
  
I struggled to dig away at the snow above me. I must get out of here. I must! My right hand broke through the crust, and then fell, useless, against the snow.   
  
"Megan!" Peter began digging away at the snow, and light slowly filtered down to me. Hands yanked me out of my white grave, and I spat up snow that was a frightening, bloody pink.  
  
Anne was shivering violently, huddled up against the other girls. Dan held his shield above them, while Peter tried to block the wind around me.  
  
"This is useless, Gandalf!" Aragorn shouted. "We must take the mines!"  
  
"There are older and more terrible evils in the mines of Moria!" Gandalf said.  
  
"It will be the death of the children to stay here," Aragorn said. Legolas shouted his agreement and put his arms around Shannon, sheltering her from a sudden blast of wind. She gasped at the cold and buried her face in his chest.   
  
"Let the Ringbearer decide," Gandalf said suddenly, and everyone looked at me.  
  
The sun would set in about five hours, I thought. Just enough time to get down off this cursed mountain...  
  
"We go through the mines!" I said.  
  
  
  
  
That night we made camp at the base of the mountain. Aragorn had barely said "We'll ma - " before I was on the ground, fast asleep.  
  
The flickering flames of the campfire died lower and lower, and Legolas came to sit beside Shannon and my sleeping form.  
  
"Amin dele ten' he," Shannon whispered, as the fire crackled and played over her face. "Re ikotani ringwe. Naa rashwe?"  
(I am worried about her. She's so cold. Is there trouble?)  
  
Legolas looked at me - shivering despite the cloak I had wrapped tightly around myself. "Amin n'sinta," he said.   
(I don't know.)  
  
Shannon sighed. "Amin autien rath, quel du."   
(I am going to bed, goodnight.)  
  
"Quel du." Legolas said. Shannon lay down and pulled the hood of her cloak over her face. Legolas looked at her for a moment, then pulled his knees up to his chin and sat gazing at the stars.  
  
I shifted in my sleep, frightened suddenly. He's coming, she's coming, it's coming... I felt a hand brush my hair backwards and reach for the ring....  
  
I yelled at sat bolt upright, and the stranger tightened his grip around my neck. We rolled into the campfire, and the coals hissed against the stranger's dark cloak  
  
With a yell, Aragorn heaved the stranger off of me. They wrestled and slammed into a tree while I gasped for breath.   
  
Ann, Veronica, and Molly looked at each other, and then drew their hobbit-swords with a yell, charging at the stranger.  
  
The stranger punched Aragorn in the chin, and it snapped his head back. Aragorn released his hold and the stranger went scrambling back into the night.   
  
My little "hobbit" friends went tearing after him into the bushes, yelling.   
  
"Molly! Veronica! Ann! Come back!" Aragorn said, rubbing his hand along his chin and staring at the blood on his fingers.  
  
Molly came stomping back, glowering, Veronica biting her lip and looking skywards, and Ann shuffling along, avoiding eyes.  
  
"Are you okay?" Molly demanded, her eyes puffy from sleep but fierce with anger.  
  
I rubbed my neck. "I'm okay, I guess." I looked up.  
  
Everyone was staring at me.  
  
I blushed. "I'm sorry."  
  
"For what?" Aragorn asked, softly.  
  
"For everything." I struggled for breath, dizzy. "For all the trouble I'm bringing, and..."  
  
"It is not your fault," Gandalf said sternly. "It never has been. Your only fault was being strong enough to bear this burden."  
  
I colored, then whitened. "I need to sleep," I said, sitting down suddenly. Peter sat beside me as I curled up and pulled my cloak tighter.   
  
"I will watch her," he said quietly to Aragorn, reaching out a hand to stroke my hair. I sighed and was asleep.  
  
Aragorn turned to Gandalf. "We will capture whoever that is, next time."   
  
"We shall see," Gandalf said looking up at the stars. He was silent for a while. "Tomorrow night," he whispered, at length. "We will enter the mines of Moria." 


	7. Chapter Seven

"Ew..." Anne said, edging away from the dark pool. "That is one gross lake."  
  
I nodded my agreement and shuffled away from the edge of the dark water. It was late, and it was long dark, but the ring was still cold against my skin.   
  
Gandalf stood in front of the door to the mines of Moria, a door illuminated in the moonlight. "It says," Gandalf began, "Speak, friend, and enter. We simply have to speak the password and - "  
  
I glanced at Shannon, who smiled and gave me the double thumbs up. I strode to the front of the company, threw my arms open, and said in a low voice - "Mellon!" (I'd been practicing.)  
  
The doors ground open. I turned back to the open-mouthed company and grinned. "That's elvish for 'friend.'"  
  
"You saw the freakin' movie," Dan said, sullen. "Big deal. You act like you're such a hero, but all you saw was the freakin' movie." He picked up a rock and hurled it into the water.   
  
"Dan?" my voice cracked. "I wouldn't do that if I was you - " He hurled another rock, and the water began to bubble. "Dan! Don't!" I screamed, but it was too late.  
  
A huge, black tentacle rose out of the water and flopped onto the rocky shore. The pony broke lose and ran whinnying into the night. "Run!" I yelled, then screamed as I felt something cold and slimy wrap around my ankle. The ground fell away from me, and I screamed bloody murder as this... thing! hefted me into the air.   
  
Arrows from Shannon and Legolas whizzed inches from my face, and Aragorn sliced threw the tentacle that held me. The end of the tentacle came off, and I fell to the ground with a sickening whack, then moaned in terror. The end of the tentacle was still wrapped around my leg, and it was still wiggling.  
  
"Get it off! Get it off!" I screamed, and after a moment's hesitation Aragorn wrapped both his hands around it and heaved it back into the water. He dragged me to my feet and into the mines, where the doors were slammed shut.  
  
There, in the darkness, I was royally sick all over the floor.  
  
"What was that?" Aragorn asked.   
  
I wiped my mouth on my sleeve, my voice trembling as I squeaked out - "Sorry."  
  
I thought I heard someone else being sick. "Ann, is that you?" I asked, struggling to adjust my eyes to the near pitch-blackness.   
  
"Yeah," she whimpered, sounding miserable. "And I thought the (blaarrrgh)... movie was bad."  
  
With a sound that sounded like a match being struck, Gandalf's staff blazed into light, and I had my first look at the Mines of Moria.  
  
Skeletons and old armor lay everywhere - there were bodies pierced with arrows and pinned up against the walls with swords. Spiderwebs and cobwebs draped over with dust clung to everything, and a steady dripping sent shivers all down my spine.  
  
"It's a tomb..." Aragorn whispered, as Shannon bent towards one of the bodies. She grabbed an arrow out and examined the tip.  
  
"Orcs!" she said with disgust, throwing the arrow away. She and Legolas put arrows to their strings and looked around warily.   
  
"We must go on," Gandalf said, turning into the darkness. I took Peter's hand and followed him. Footsteps pattered after me in the dark, and I had a strange feeling it wasn't just my friends that were following...  
  
  
After a long, long march Gandalf paused, and I sat on the cold stone floor without hesitation. Gandalf looked at the two tunnels in front of him, thinking deeply.  
  
I sighed. "There were three it the book," I said. "Two in the movie, but both times they took the right hand passage. The left one smells bad."  
  
Legolas and Aragorn stared at me like I was crazy, but Gandalf smiled slightly. "Are you sure?"  
  
"Positive," I said, then stumbled to my feet.  
  
"We go forward, then," Gandalf said, and strode into the right hand passage.  
  
"Molly?" Ann whispered.  
  
"What?"  
  
"I'm hungry."  
  
"Here," Molly said, rummaging in her pack. "I think I've got an apple or something." She passed the rather bruised fruit to Ann, who sank into it gratefully as they walked along.  
  
We continued through the mines, stopping once to sleep and several times the next day to rest. It was on that second day that I stopped, and stared through an open door.  
  
"What is it?" Legolas asked, following my gaze.   
  
"I ... don't know..." There was an old wooden door off to the left, hanging open, and a shaft of dim light fought down to the floor. In the middle was an old marble table with strange markings on it. Curiosity overwhelmed me, and I stepped through the doorway.   
  
"Megan! What are you doing?" The rest of the company followed me through the doorway, puzzled and frightened.  
  
Slowly, I walked forward to the marble table - it was a tomb, covered in dust. I took a deep breath and blew the swirling gray away, then ran my hands along the top. The marks were carved deep, and they looked oddly familiar...   
  
Ann pattered away from the group, walking over to a huge well behind the tomb. There was a bucket on a chain, and she peered cautiously over the rim, then yelled in terror.  
  
There was a skull in the bucket.  
  
Ann threw her hands up in disgust, and the bucket went hurtling down the well, bouncing off the stone walls and filling the entire guardroom with an earsplitting racket. The ricocheting noise dimmed, slowly, then died away deep in the depths of the mines.  
  
When it was all over, Ann looked up from between her fingers. "Uh - oh."  
  
"Fool!" said Gandalf. "Why didn't you just throw yourself down as well?"  
  
Ann's lower chin trembled violently. "I - I'm sorry!" She started to sniffle.  
  
Legolas rolled his eyes. Shannon frowned and poked him with an arrow.  
  
*BOOM - BOOM* the sound came from deep in the mines. *BOOM-BOOM* It sounded like drums, only deeper and more threatening. I thought I could hear soft shrieks and the sound of footsteps.  
  
"Oh, sh-" I started to say, but Gandalf cut me off.  
  
"They're coming!" he yelled. "Bar the doors!"  
  
We all ran to heave the wooden doors shut and drag beams in front of them, except for Ann. Trembling, she backed into a corner, her eyes so wide they seemed to take up her whole face. Her lips were moving, and it looked like she was praying.  
  
Not that I blame her.  
  
We stationed ourselves in front of the door - Shannon and Legolas standing side by side with arrows drawn, Peter, Dan and Aragorn holding shields and swords in front of them, Frances standing on top of the tomb with her ax raised, Veronica and I huddled close with hobbit-swords drawn, and Molly looking exceptionally fierce with a large frying pan.   
  
Ann was still in the back  
  
Then they came. Pounding on the door and breaking it down, they flooded the room - orcs. Yeah, they were gross in the movie, but in the movies you didn't smell them. Or hear the slime on their faces stretch and snap as they howled. Or see them charge at YOU, grinning with awful green teeth.  
  
Arrows flew thick through the air, Shannon and Legolas killing orcs by the dozens. Dude, I didn't KNOW she could shoot two arrows at once.   
  
Peter and Dan slashed out, chopping at the orcs and yelling along with Aragorn, whose sword was moving so fast it looked like a blur - orcs fell dead in a circle around him. Frances gave a terrifying battle cry and leapt into the fray - hewing down orcs like she'd done this before.  
  
Veronica and I held our own, barely, against the screaming monsters, and Molly knocked one after the other out cold with a dull clang.   
  
Then it got quiet - too quiet. There were footsteps outside the door, and everyone froze.   
  
I gasped in terror as the troll entered the room. The stench was overwhelming, and as he roared and swung his mace I turned tail and ran. My friends went to the left, and I dove to the right, just barely making it underneath the swinging mace.   
  
Panting, I pressed myself up against the cold stone. I heard the monster's breath on the right, and I scooched along the column to the left. Every nerve in my body ringing, I thought I heard him switch positions and I scooched back to the right.  
  
Oops. The troll roared right into my face, and I was almost blown backwards by the force. Little flecks of saliva that hissed in the air splashed on to my face, and the smell nearly knocked me out cold. The troll raised his mace and flung it at me.  
  
Everything seemed to go into slow motion. Well, this is the end, I thought - and then it hit. It felt like getting smashed by a truck. My neck snapped, my eyes rolled back into my head, and the shock of being flung backwards into a wall knocked all the breath out of me. I groaned once, then fell forward onto my face and stayed there.  
  
Veronica and Molly exchanged one hurried glance, then leapt on the troll's back, yelling for all they were worth. Veronica stabbed him the back of the neck, and Molly whacked him repeatedly with the frying pan, cursing at the top of her lungs.   
  
The troll reared and threw them off, then clapped one hand to his face as Shannon shot him through the eye. Shannon yelled as the troll threw an abandoned orc blade at her, and then Legolas shot him twice in the throat.   
  
The troll gurgled, spat blood, and fell on his face.  
  
Ann had been gathering up her courage, and now she ran from the shadows, her sword held high over her head. With a curdling yell, she smashed the blade over the troll's head. "Take! that! You! Stu! Pid!" she accented each syllable with a blow. "F---! Ing! Mon! Ster!" Then, with a growl, she went into rapid fire, like one of those chinese chefs. "AAAIIIII!"  
  
"Ann!" Aragorn snapped. "It is dead!" Ann glared and it looked as though she might continue her slice-and-dice routine on him.  
  
The Shannon did a double take, gasped and ran to my side. "No!" she yelled, turning me over, "Oh, god, no, no!" Aragorn started and came to kneel beside me.  
  
"Is she - is she - " Shannon asked as Aragorn held a hand in front of my face.  
  
My eyes flickered open, and I groaned, trying to inhale. After a second my lungs remembered how and I gasped and gasped at the putrid air.   
  
"I'm okay - " I panted. "I can - " I looked up at Aragorn, who was staring at me with wide eyes. I glanced down and realized that my shirt was undone and that the mithril coat was gleaming in the dim light.  
  
"Oh, yeah, that," I muttered, pulling my clothes back together. "Definitely a plus." I stood on wobbly knees. "We've got to get out of here."  
  
"Quickly!" Gandalf agreed, gripping his staff with white hands.  
  
Shannon was pale as we hurried out of the room. "Are you - okay?" I gasped. She nodded and bit her lip. I turned my attention back to the road in front of me.   
  
I had a terrible feeling things were about to get worse. 


	8. Chapter Eight

The sound of our feet pounding echoed off the roof of the giant cavern. Columns of stone towered above our heads - dark, fierce and imposing.   
  
I gasped for breath and forced my legs to keep running, running, running.   
  
Shrieks echoed off the sides of the cavern, and suddenly there were orcs coming at us from all directions - crawling down the stone like spiders.  
  
I felt hot tears on my face. I pressed my back up against my friends, holding a glowing Sting out in front, and tasting the fear thick in my mouth.   
  
The orcs paused, inches from my face, growling.  
  
And then something happened. The corridor behind us was illuminated with rippling red flame. I felt the air grow warm across my lips, and a tremor ran through the orcs. Their heads turned, and a collective shriek echoed off the walls. Shaking and screaming, the orcs turned tail and ran back to where they had come from.   
  
I began to shake, shivering violently from the fear. "Gandalf?" I whispered. "Is that a -"  
  
"RUN!" Gandalf shouted, which made more sense than the long, drawn out explanation he gave in the movie.   
  
I didn't think my shaking legs could run any faster, but I fought to catch Gandalf. "Listen!" I gasped. "You have to watch out for the whi-" but Gandalf wasn't listening, and I was running out of air.  
  
The heat began digging vicious pins into my skin. The creature, the Balrog, following us, radiated a heat that cackled in the air. The breath was hot in my lungs, and sweat got in my eyes and stung. The skin on my lips and nose began to bleed, and my eyes were so dry that blinking was painful.  
  
The tears rolled down my face and burned of their own accord.   
  
We came at last to the Bridge of Kazad-Dum. And don't you dare start playing the movie soundtrack. I was scared out of my mind. The stones began to heat underneath my feet, and I could smell burning flesh.  
  
Aragorn led us, tumbling down the stairs towards the bridge. We thundered down the stairs, not even daring to look back.   
  
And you know that gap in the movie? It's much worse in real life. The darkness continued down for forever, and the jump must have been six feet. Legolas was the first one over, and he turned to catch Shannon. Peter and Dan jumped, and I held my breath. Frances made two preparations, then sailed across. Being a gymnast has its advantages. Go Frances.  
  
Anne was crying, so Aragorn lifted her up and threw her across to Legolas. Veronica screwed her face up and leapt across, just barely making it - her toes slipped on the lose rock but hands reached out to pull her to safety. Gandalf scrambled to the other side, and it was just me and Aragorn left.   
  
I could lie to you and say the stone broke off and we steered it forwards, but that is ridiculous. As the Balrog came closer, the stone behind us began to crumble. Before I knew what was happening, I felt the ancient bridge sway and crash forward. I blundered into Legolas, who caught both my arms.  
  
Aragorn was right behind me, shaking. That was luck. The scariest bit of luck I've ever had but sheer dumb luck nonetheless. Non of that "lean to the riiiiiiiiiiiiight!" business.  
  
Arrows were flying thick through the air, but it was nothing compared to the heat. It's probably the closest to hell I've ever come. I turned and looked back for the first time.  
  
The Balrog was towering over Gandalf - dark and sinister, with horns and eyes that glowed a frightening red. It roared, and the sound shook my teeth.   
  
"You shall not pass!" Gandalf roared, raising his staff high above his head. It blazed into a clear, crisp light that burned to look at. The monster paused, then cracked his whip over the light. Gandalf cried out and shuddered, but the light did not waver.   
  
"You shall not - " Gandalf roared again, "PASS!" The Balrog tried to step on to the bridge, but it crumbled and he tumbled into the darkness.   
  
Gandalf let his shield of light fall and started walking backwards. "No! Gandalf!" I screamed. "Look ou-"  
  
But it was too late. Just like in the movie, the Balrog's whip wrapped around Gandalf's leg. He was pulled back over to the edge, where he clung to the loosening stone.  
  
"Fly, you fools!" he whispered once, and was gone.  
  
"Gandalf!" I yelled. "Gandalf, no!" I felt arms around me, pulling me off of the bridge. "No! No!" My voice shredded and died, and I fell into silence. A dead, dark silence - a silence that I would not break for a long time. A darkness wrapped around me, and the ring fastened it like a cape.   
  
Tears streaming down my face, I stumbled to my feet and out into the dull sunshine. The mines lay behind us, but we would never really be free of them.  
  
Ann collapsed on the ground, sobbing. Veronica held her close, then leaned against a sitting Molly. Frances threw her axe down, knelt, and covered her face with her hands. Shannon was deathly pale as she put her arms around Legolas' neck and gasped for breath. Peter dropped his shield and hung his head, silently, while Dan yelled in pain and rage and stabbed his sword into a piece of soft earth.   
  
Aragorn looked around, putting his sword back in its scabbard. "We must keep going. Come nightfall these hills will be swarming with orcs..."  
  
I turned my back to the company and began walking. Something deep inside me said leave - leave now and never come back.   
  
"Meg!" Aragorn called sharply. "Meg!" The sound of his voice echoed of the hilltops. "Megan, arwen tel'korma!"   
  
I turned back. He had called me "lady of the ring".  
  
A single tear ran down my face.   
  
  
  
It was the last I would shed for a long, long time. I was beyond pain now. It was only a matter of time before everything and everyone I loved would fall to the ring. I knew it - I knew it in the very depths of my soul.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Shannon gasped - a ragged, painful gasp. Legolas pushed her back a little bit.   
  
The front of her shirt was sticky with blood.   
  
"No!" Legolas said, the sound catching in his throat. "No, Shannon!" He laid her down in the shallow grass. "Aragorn!"  
  
Aragorn looked back, then ran to Shannon's side. Kneeling beside her, he slowly peeled back the bottom of her bloody shirt, then closed his eyes in grief. There was a jagged shard of orc blade in Shannon's skin, skin that was already turning a green from the poison.  
  
"Legolas - your belt," Aragorn said, and the elf fumbled to take it off. Shannon closed her eyes and looked away in pain.  
  
"Shannon," Aragorn said softly. "Listen to me. This will hurt." He put the belt between her teeth. "Bite this."   
  
Legolas took her hand and she squeezed it tight. "On three," Aragorn said. "One - two - " he ripped the orc blade from her skin. Shannon screamed and bit the belt, then sobbed. The sound cut across my heart and chilled me to the bone. This is all my fault, I thought. It's all my fault. My fault... my fault...  
  
Legolas took the belt from her mouth. The bite marks ran almost all the way through the leather, and he shuddered. "Aragorn," he whispered, white. "Was it - was it -"  
  
Aragorn glanced at Shannon, who was moaning and looking away. He nodded, slowly, and Legolas gave a frightened sob.   
  
The blade had been poisoned.   
  
Legolas gathered Shannon up in his arms and held her close. "We must make it to Lothlorien," he said, shaking. "Quickly." 


	9. Chapter Nine

Practically running, gasping the whole way and stopping to rest only once, we found ourselves entering the forest of Lothlorien.  
  
The trees were so tall and silver that they shone against our faces, and the leaves that drifted down were golden. A quiet wind whispered through my tangled hair, and I took my first step into the elven wood.  
  
With a sound that felt like a blow, an image of startlingly blue eyes flashed before me. "Welcome, Megan-child," a voice burned into my head. "You bring much evil here..."  
  
I stumbled on the path. "Leave me alone," I muttered. "Leave me alone, Galadriel!"   
  
The sound of arrows being drawn made me look up. We were surrounded by elves - elves with the same golden hair and fair skin as Legolas - only these elves looked us in the eyes with a cold threat. Great - I thought. We escape near death in the mines to be pumped full of arrows by Legolas' second cousins once removed. Just great.  
  
"Haldir - " Aragorn said, bowing to the head elf, the only one unarmed. "Heru en amin, we need your protection, and your help." He nodded to Shannon, lying listlessly in Legolas' arms. "One of our own is wounded."  
  
Haldir smiled, a tiny, cold smile that made me shiver. "Come," he said. "The lady of the wood is waiting for you."  
  
"It doesn't look like we have much choice," Veronica muttered to Ann, who nodded, wide-eyed at the elvish bows.  
  
  
  
  
It might have been seconds, or years, but the next thing I remember was standing in front of the Lady of the Wood.  
  
She was the most beautiful woman I have every seen. Her golden hair was long and wavy in some places, and her skin was brilliantly white. Her blue eyes stared with an intensity that hurt, and her whole body seemed to glow.  
  
She looked at each one of us in turn, slowly, digging through our minds. I can only guess what she said to others, but her voice in my head was harsh. "You bear much evil," she said, mind-to-mind. "Your quest stands on the edge of knife. Stray but a little and you will fail. The ring has begun to wear away at you, and at the others. It will betray him - you know of whom I speak. Be wary, and do not let your emotions lead you false."   
  
I stood there puzzling. In the movie, she had been speaking about Boromir. But Boromir wasn't with us. In his place was ...  
  
... Dan.   
  
Galadriel then turned to Legolas, and looked him in the eyes. He shifted, and held Shannon closer.   
  
The white lady took a step forward, looking down at Shannon. "She has suffered much, this foreign child," Galadriel said, brushing a strand of damp hair my friend's face. "But she will heal." Galadriel placed her white hand across Shannon's forehead.   
  
Shannon moaned once, and her eyes flickered. Then she sighed and her head fell against Legolas. "She will heal," the lady of the wood repeated.  
  
Lifting her head at looking at all of us, Galadriel blinked, slowly. "You must now rest, for you are weary from toil and much sorrow. Yet Aragorn I bid stay, to tell the tale."  
  
Aragorn turned to the lady and began speaking softly in elvish, while the rest of us were led away.  
  
  
Our camp was dark and quiet. Shannon was laid in a grassy clearing over to the right where she slept in peace, while the rest of us were underneath a huge tree and cloth canopies. (Well, not all of the rest of us. Aragorn was still speaking with Galadriel, and Legolas was with Shannon.)  
  
I washed my face and arms in a nearby river, and laid my cool palms against the bruises underneath my mithril coat. Stumbling back into camp I laid down in the tree roots and tried to sleep.  
  
"Hey," Peter came and sat beside me. I didn't answer, and he kissed my cheek. "You know, Megan," he whispered. "I've never felt like this before, but, I ..." he tried to kiss me again, and I snapped.  
  
"Leave me alone!" I said, and my friends looked over in shock. "Just leave me alone!" The sun had set, and the ring was so cold against me. Peter drew back, astonished.   
  
"Megan, I'm sorry, I - " he stammered.  
  
"Just leave me... be..." I moaned, and sank into the tree roots. "Don't... come near..." the air grew dark in front of me, and I fell into a fitful sleep.  
  
Veronica looked back at Ann and Molly and whistled, as if to say 'what got in to Meg?'. "You said it," breathed Ann.   
  
  
  
  
Shannon thought she heard someone singing.  
  
His voice was soft and low, and sweet. "Like the waves that crash against the shore," he sang,  
"And whispered thoughts of nevermore,  
Each sigh that breaks  
From lips that wait  
Tears my heart and pains me more.  
  
Why have you come, your haunting eyes -   
To brighten starlight in the skies  
Then leave me here  
To nurse the fear  
That you have fallen - fearful lies!  
  
Child of moonlight, wind and rain  
Find the path to me again  
I'll be waiting  
My heart breaking  
Thoughts of you - the sharpest pain.  
  
Like waves that crash against the shore  
And whispered thoughts of nevermore  
Each sigh that breaks   
From lips that wait  
Tears my heart and pains me more."  
  
Shannon sighed and felt a cool hand against her cheek. She struggled to open her eyes, then blinked at the dim moonlight. "Legolas?" she whispered.  
  
"Shannon..." he murmured, and bent to kiss her -   
  
"Shannon!" Veronica said, crashing through the bushes. "You're awake! We just came to see how you were doing and - " Veronica caught sight of Legolas, blushed, and keep turning. " - it looks like you're doing pretty well. We're going. Going. Now!" Veronica pushed Ann and Molly back to camp.  
  
"But - what - ?" Ann asked.  
  
"They're busy." Veronica said quickly.  
  
"What?" Molly said, trying to look back over Veronica's shoulder.  
  
"They're BUSY!"  
  
Ann and Molly looked at each other and giggled, viciously. "OOO-oooh!" they said in unison.   
Shannon slapped both hands over her face and muttered death threats while Legolas sat back and laughed, softly.  
  
"Quel du, little one," he said, kissing her forehead. Shannon sniffled, rolled over, and slept. 


	10. Chapter Ten

It was the ring that woke me.  
  
I had forgotten what it was like to be warm - every inch of me was painfully icy, down to the bone. I shivered and wrapped my cloak tightly around me, listening to the sounds of the night. I thought I saw something dodge through the trees, and my heart skipped a beat. Was it the stranger?  
  
But no one came near, and I was growing restless. I stood, shakily, and began to walk out of the campsite. Shannon, sleeping in the crook of Legolas' arm, stirred and tried to sit up. Legolas opened his eyes. "Naa rashwe?"  
  
"Mellonamin," Shannon murmured. "Manke naa re autien?" (Where is she going?)  
  
"Amin n'sinta." (I don't know) Legolas shifted and sat up, reaching for his bow. "Do you want me to follow her?"  
  
"N'uma," (No) Shannon said, tugging on his sleeve. "I will go."  
  
"No," Legolas said firmly, gently. "Stay here and rest. I will follow her."  
  
"No, you stupid elf, I'll - " Shannon started, but Legolas interrupted, kissing her cheek. Shannon lay back, glowing. "Okay..." she said, sounding a little spaced.  
  
Legolas pulled his bow close, stood, and slid through the bushes to follow.  
  
  
  
Galadriel was standing there, not making a sound but glowing a brilliant white. One glance at her eyes and I knew to follow, follow without question or comment. She led me down a mossy staircase, to a circular clearing. In the middle was a gray podium, and a silvery bowl. I knew what it was - the Mirror of Galadriel.  
  
Galadriel smiled slightly, and filled a silver pitcher with water in the fountain behind her. I gulped as she poured the sparkling water into the bowl, then stepped back. She didn't say anything - she could read in my mind that I already knew what I could see... or would see... or might see?  
  
I gulped again. "Sh-should I look?" I whispered.  
  
"I am not here to council you," Galadriel said softly, "Yet I will say this - have you not yet learned of your strength? You are here for a reason."  
  
I took a deep breath and took a step closer to the mirror. Biting my lip, I leaned over the edge and peered in.   
  
At first I saw only a reflection of starlight, and of a raggedy, nervous looking girl. Then the mirror changed and -   
  
- Legolas was handing something to Shannon. Her eyes widened and she shook her head, mouthing in elvish. Legolas closed her fingers over it and said something, softly. Shannon stopped shaking her head and they stared at each other -   
  
- Ann was crying, kneeling on the ground, both hands over her face and -   
  
- Veronica struggled against ropes, fraying the cords on her hands and -   
  
-Peter turned to look at me, then narrowed his eyes and slammed a door and -   
  
- I saw myself standing in forest next to Dan. He put a hand on my shoulder and I flinched as his fingers tightened and -   
  
- Shannon broke a kiss with Legolas, then ran, stumbling through the forest debris. Legolas yelled her name, and she looked back, slowing for a moment, then wrenched her eyes away and -   
  
- flame erupted in front of me and something tackled me from behind and -   
  
- Legolas high-fived a dirty but elated Frances and -   
  
- Ann raised a shining elf sword over her head, screaming and -   
  
- Veronica and Molly sat on stone steps and put their chins in their hands and -   
  
- Aragorn and -   
  
- Gandalf? and -   
  
- Shannon and -   
  
- Frances -   
  
- and me. Suddenly it was only me, me clinging to rock and watching something rise from the darkness. A great, lidless eye, shaped like a cat's but burning red. Every inch of me was cold and enflamed, alive but dead, thinking only of the pain -   
  
The ring around my neck began to shake, and it slipped from beneath my shirt, drawn towards the water. I heard wicked laughter and I fought to pull myself away...  
  
With a sickening "whump!" I managed to fall back from the mirror, clutching at the freezing ring and gasping for breath. After a few seconds I calmed, and looked up at Galadriel.  
  
I unfastened the chain around my neck, stumbling to my feet. My hands shook as I put the one ring in my palm.  
  
"If you ask me," I said, panting. "I will give it to you."  
  
Galadriel put one shaking hand out over the ring. "I do not deny that my heart has greatly desired to ask what you offer, child," she said. "For many long years I had pondered what I might do, should the Great Ring come into my hands." The lady of the wood seemed to grow taller, darker as she spoke. "You will give me the Ring freely? In place of the Dark Lord you will set up a Queen. And I shall not be dark, but beautiful and terrible as the Morning and the Night!" She threw her arms up and began to glow with a supernatural darkness. "All shall love me and despair!"  
  
Then she shuddered, and the darkness faded, and Legolas hidden in the trees behind me relaxed his bow.   
  
"I pass the test," she said, quietly. "I will diminish, and go into the West, and remain Galadriel."  
  
  
  
Days passed. Bruises faded, cuts healed over, tears dried up. Shannon could walk and run again, though sometimes she would stop, put a hand over her stomach, and wince.  
  
But I couldn't stand to be up past sunset anymore - the ring would bite through me at nightfall, and it was all I could do to keep from crying aloud.  
  
Veronica was watching me once, when it happened. "Awre 'oo ohkay?" she asked around a mouthful of bread. The cooking fire was dying low, and Ann and Molly bickered over the last slice of a kind of elvish bacon.  
  
"I'm fine!" I snapped, and Veronica's eyes widened a bit. I turned my back, hissing against the cold. Peter started towards me, but Veronica put a hand out to stop him.   
  
I slumped to the ground and fell fitfully asleep, and I spent my last night in Lothlorien dreaming of a great eye...  
  
  
  
  
  
That morning Galadriel called us all together, one last time. She took a cup from a servant girl, and filled it with wine. "Let us drink the cup of parting," she said, and sipped. She handed the cup to Aragorn, who drank. He handed it to Legolas, Legolas to Peter, Peter to Dan, Dan to me. I put the cool chalice to my lips and then drank. The wine was heavy, bitterly sweat, and oddly sorrowful. I handed the cup to Ann.   
  
She looked over the rim, looked doubtful, took a deep breath and swallowed. Whether she tried to drink too much or the wine was just too strong, I don't know. Ann's eyes bugged out, she snorted, then hacked, and it took several firm whacks on the back from Veronica before she could regain her composure.   
  
Coughing, Ann handed the cup to Veronica. But Veronica was suddenly overcome with a fit of giggles and practically snorted the wine out her nose. Aragorn looked at her sternly, and Veronica wiped at her face. "Sorry, sorry, sorry..."  
  
Frances rolled her eyes and shook her head, snatching the cup from Veronica. She tipped her back and drank swiftly, then wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and passed the cup to Molly.   
  
Molly sniffed the cup, gulped the wine down, and then passed it in a hurry to Shannon. Shannon turned the empty cup upside down, looking disappointed. Just to be fair, though, she ran her finger around in the inside and licked that.   
  
Aragorn was glaring angrily, but Legolas was looking at the ground, his shoulders were shaking with suppressed laughter.   
  
We all were given new, beautiful gray cloaks with leaf-shaped fastenings. Legolas and Shannon got new bows and arrows, Molly and Veronica golden belts, Aragorn an odd green stone, Frances a helmet inlaid with silver and elvish runes, Peter and Dan new shields of gold, and I got a beautiful crystal phial that shown. "May it be a light to you in a place where all other lights go out," Galadriel whispered, and kissed the top of my head.   
  
I held the phial tightly. "Thank you."  
  
Last of all, Galadriel turned to Ann. "As for you, little Ann-girl, wield this well." She handed Ann a sword, sheathed in gold and sparkling in the sunlight. Ann stared, astonished, and drew the blade. The metal rang out, and the elvish runes set along the cool steel blazed. With shaking hands she sheathed it, and buckled it at her waist.  
  
"But why for m-" Ann started, but Galadriel silenced her with a wave of her hand.  
  
"All will be revealed with time." Galadriel sighed. "Namaarie, melloneamin."  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"Molly?" Veronica put her hands on her hips. "Get. In. The boat."  
  
"B-bu-but guys? I get really seasick. Really truly. I'm serious!" Molly widened her eyes and shifted nervously from foot to foot. Ann crossed her arms and looked annoyed. Then she glanced at Veronica. Their eyes met. They smiled.   
  
'One,' mouthed Veronica. 'Two, Three!' They grabbed Molly, who gave a terrified squawk! and dumped her on top of the bundles of clothing.  
  
"Is everything ready?" Aragorn asked, glancing around.   
  
"Almost!" Ann said gleefully, grabbing one last pack from the shore. She threw the bundle of food on top of Molly, and it muffled the swearing.   
  
Silently, I crept into a boat. Aragorn sat behind me, and I curled up at the front. The sound of lapping water lulled me to sleep. The sun shone on my face, a cool breeze tugged at wisps of my hair, and a weighted sigh escaped my lips.  
  
But even in my dreams, I was troubled.  
  
  
Something was drawing near - and I could feel it. 


	11. Chapter Eleven - The End of Part One

The bottom of the boat grated against sand, and I sat up with a gasp.  
  
"Di-did I miss the kings?" I asked, one hand around the ring.  
  
"The what?" Aragorn asked, stepping to shore and pushing the elven boat further.  
  
"You know - the big stone kings!" I put my left hand out in front of me, palm bent up, and frowned. Aragorn laughed, a sound that eased some of my fears.   
  
"Yes, arwen en amin, you missed the kings," he ruffled my hair, smiling. His hand strayed down my hair, and then he took my chin and forced me look at him. His eyes turned sad. "You are still a child," he murmured. "For all this, you are still a child."  
  
"I - I - " I stammered, not knowing what to say. Aragorn turned away from me and I clambered out of the boat, blushing a bit.  
  
"Wait - " Shannon was saying, as she helped unload the boats. "Legolas means 'greenleaf?'" She sounded confused. "So your name is Greenleaf Greenleaf? Isn't that... kind of repetitive?"  
  
I turned to try to smile at my friends, then stopped. Something was coming through the bushes.  
  
"WEEZER!" yelled the girl in the khaki shorts, pushing at her glasses and grinning. She made the "W" with her hands, smiled, and then continued on her way. Everyone stared after her, and that's when the stranger decided to attack.  
  
With a bloodcurdling shriek, he jumped out of the tree above me.   
  
Not again! I thought, as we tumbled to the ground. I kicked and scratched, and Legolas and Aragorn heaved the stranger off of me. He struggled and swore, trying to break away from their grasp.   
  
Shannon helped me to my feet, and I was shaking as Legolas bound the stranger's hands behind his back. All was quiet, except for the distant cries of "Weezer!"  
  
I stared at the stranger. He had been following me, attacking me, searching for the ring since the beginning of my quest. His breath was ragged underneath the dark hood, and I felt the breath catch in my own throat. Would the identity of the stranger finally be revealed?  
  
Aragorn reached up and pulled the dark hood back.  
  
I felt my mouth drop open. "Miss Whittemore?" I gasped.   
  
  
  
My band teacher sneered at me. "That's right," the chubby blonde said. "Miss Whittemore - Miss Ana Whittemore, period 8, Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays!" She had a wild look in her eye.  
  
"She forgot Tuesdays and Thursdays," Ann whispered.  
  
"Shh!" hissed Veronica.   
  
"You're the one after the ring?" I asked, putting a protective hand around it. "But why? Why?"  
  
"B flat concert scale, B flat concert scale, half notes!" Miss Whittemore shrieked. One eye was crossed and her whole body was shaking. "That's my life - B flat concert scales - and - and YOU! A room full of ninth graders every day! Concert F, everyone please!" She shook her head and grinned psychotically. "But with the ring - I could be powerful and terrible all at once! No one would dare oppose me! All will love me and despair!" She cackled evilly, and I began to back away.   
  
Legolas looked at Aragorn. "What do we do with her?" he asked, incredulous. But he needed have worried - Miss Whittemore wrenched herself free, and leapt for me. I ducked and she went tumbling into the Anduin.  
  
Wide eyed, we all watched as the river sucked her away. I'll never be quite certain, but I could've sworn I heard her screaming - "G harmonic minoooooooooooor!"  
  
  
  
"Dear God," said Molly.  
  
"I don't know about you," Veronica muttered and shook her head. "But I'm quitting band."  
  
Ann glanced around the campsite. "Where's Meg?"  
  
Everyone fell silent, and Shannon looked up. Her heart beat a little faster as she scanned the clearing saw Dan's shield, abandoned by a boulder.  
  
  
  
  
  
I walked quietly through the forest, thinking. Gandalf had said that when the people from my world got in, the barriers were weak. If the barriers were weak here, then my friends could go home. If I left now they could go home - because I knew I had to leave. Every step the ring got colder, got heavier, and suddenly I knew why I was chosen to bear it.  
  
Middle Earth needed the elvish prince, Legolas. Middle Earth needed a king, Aragorn. Middle earth needed the real Frodo and the real Sam to tend the Shire, to grow beauty.  
  
But Middle Earth did not need me.  
  
  
  
I was going to die.  
  
  
  
"Meg?"   
  
I stiffened and turned. "Dan," I said, simply, looking up at my tall friend. His face was calm, but his hair was damp and fell in dark slashes against his pale forehead. The leaves on the forest floor ruffled, and I shivered.  
  
"You suffer, Meg," Dan said, putting a hand on my shoulder. "I see it in you, every day." His voice was smooth and soothing, but I flinched as his fingers tightened. His voice dropped to whisper. "You don't have to suffer alone, Megan." His hand trembled, and he took a step closer.   
  
I started to panic - then chided myself. This was my old friend Dan! The one that shared his cookies in the third grade - the one that helped me paint my bedroom in the sixth grade - the one that I go to the movies with - the one that helps me out in computer class -   
  
I was tired all of a sudden, and I put my head against his shoulder. "Oh, Dan." I tried not to cry.  
  
"Shh, Meg," he said. He bent down and kissed the top of my head, tipped my head back and kissed my lips. Thoughts of Peter flashed through my head, and I tried to pull back.   
  
"Dan, no, I, " I stammered, but he kissed me again. I was so flustered, I didn't feel his hands at the back of my neck until -   
  
- the chain snapped.   
  
I yelled and pushed myself away, grabbing at the front of my shirt for the ring. "Dan! You monster!"  
  
"The only monster is you!" Dan said, as I clutched the ring with white knuckles. "You think you're the hero, do you? Give the ring to me! Give it to me and I will bend it to my will! I will stop all this, all this pain, all this madness!"  
  
"You're crazy!" I screamed. Dan growled and launched himself at me. I did the only thing that I could think of: I put on the ring.  
  
  
  
Wind howled in my ears, and everything went dark with shadow and screams. Dan was a skeleton before me, pawing at the ground and at the air. I kicked him, viciously, and he went sprawling.  
  
"Meg-eg-eg-eg-eg!" his voice rang in my ears. "You will betray us all! You will fail! You will die-ie-ie-ie!"  
  
Pressing my hands to my ears, I ran and ran and ran. The ring burned on my hand, and I gasped for breath in this nightmare world. I gave a yell as the ground pitched beneath me, and held on to a stone slab for dear life. A tower rose before me, and the image of a great, burning, lidless eye. Wicked laughter ripped across the bloody sky, and I struggled against the power of Sauron.  
  
I will not come to you! I will come to you! I will not! I will! Never, forever, and I -  
  
I grabbed at my left hand, pulling at the ring. It slid off, and I fell backwards on to the hard ground. It was a moment before I could catch my breath, and another before I could stand.  
  
"Arwen en amin?"  
  
I spun around to face Aragorn. He put a hand on his hilt and came closer.   
  
"Stay back!" I cried.   
  
"Megan? Megan!" Aragorn cried as I stumbled backwards. He tipped his head forward and to the side. "I swore to protect you, Arwen tel'Korma - why do you run?"  
  
I gulped. "C-Can you protect me from yourself?" I held the ring out, bitter. "What would you do?"  
  
Aragorn looked at the ring, then at my face. He knelt and folded my fingers over the ring. "I would have followed you to the end," he whispered.  
  
I drew a ragged breath. "I - I have to leave, now. Please - tell the others. They won't understand..." I was shaking as I put the ring back on to the broken chain, and knotted it firmly around my neck. "Aragorn - " I threw my arms around him. He stiffened, surprised, then hugged me back. After a moment, sniffling and wiping my nose on my sleeve, I drew back.  
  
Aragorn looked at my waist. "Meg!"  
  
I drew Sting - and it was glowing a violent blue. "Orcs - run!" Aragorn said, drawing his own sword. "Run!"  
  
I turned tail and stumbled down the rocky hillside, twisting my ankles and panting from the fear. Orcs were swarming all over now, yelling and screaming. I stumbled to a halt and pressed my back against a tree.  
  
"Meg!" called Veronica. She and Ann were hiding in some bushes - Molly was no where to be seen. "Over here! Hide!"  
  
Gasping, I stared at my two friends. I bit my lip and felt a salty tear run down my face.  
  
"What - what's she doing?" Veronica whispered.  
  
"She's leaving!" breathed Ann.   
  
Footsteps pounded - the orcs were coming closer. It was then that my friends did the bravest, or the stupidest, thing of their lives.  
  
Ann leapt out of hiding. "Yo! Ugly dudes! Over here!"  
  
Veronica followed suit. "Over here! This way!" she yelled, and they plunged away into the forest, leading the orcs away from me.   
  
Sobbing outright, now, I threw myself at the boats on the shore. I grabbed the first supplies that came to my hands and shoved them into the boat, then stumbled and tripped as I pushed it into the water.  
  
On top of the hill, after firing shot after shot at the on coming orcs, Shannon turned and saw my boat leaving. "No!" she yelled. "Oh, no you don't!" She slung her bow over one shoulder and began running down to the shore. "No - no you won't I won't let you you little bi-"  
  
"Shannon!"   
  
Shannon stopped, glanced back, and saw Legolas standing there. His bow was slack and his eyes were pained as he called her name a second time, his voice cracking. "Shannon - where are you going?"  
  
Taking a big breath, Shannon raced to the elf, grabbed his face with both hands, and kissed him for a full five seconds. Legolas gasped, then put his hands on her shoulders.  
  
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Shannon said, crying, as she broke away. "Namaarie..." she whimpered, turning away to run back towards the boats.   
  
"Shannon!" Legolas cried, reaching one hand out to her. He was standing there, like he was watching everything he ever loved run away...  
  
Shannon slowed her pace for a moment, glancing back. With a tearful sob she wrenched her eyes away and stormed on to the beach.  
  
I was scrabbling with the paddles, just a few feet off shore.  
  
"Megan!" Shannon cried, wading into the water.  
  
"No, Shannon!" I screamed. "Go back! I'm going alone!"  
  
"Of course you are!" Shannon was now up to her waist and swimming. "And I'm (gurgle) comin' with you!"  
  
She grabbed the side of the boat, flung a wet bow and an even wetter quiver at me, and then heaved herself in. She dripped water everywhere, and a little puddle began to collect at the bottom.  
  
Shannon pulled a wayward piece of wet hair from her eyes. "I - I don't intend to lose you, Megan."  
  
Then I lost it. The lines from the movie, the lines from the book, the horror of this whole quest caught up to me. I flung my arms around Shannon and cried. After a moment we picked up the paddles and made it to the other side of the Anduin. We divided up the packs, ate some of the food we couldn't carry, and abandoned the rest with the boat.  
  
  
  
Without looking back, holding hands, Shannon and I set off into the wilderness.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
End of Part One.  
Namaarie, melloneamin. 


End file.
